Midship Monster!
by Kevin Griffis
Summary: Nakazato is leading an uprising in Gunma, a new challenger is on the scene, the 86's engine is at stake, and Bunta won't do anything about it.


"Uncle," he said in a cool voice, fighting to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"Nephew," came the cold reply over the phone.

"I've found what you were searching for," the young man said, surprised he was able to remain on the phone so long with someone he so desperately hated.

"What?" the older man barked.

"Your engine. The Grade-A. It's here, racing on Mt. Akina."

"In what?" the older man asked, shocked but interested in his usual predatory manner.

"An AE86, with a tofu shop logo pasted on the side. The fastest downhill specialist in all of Japan, they're calling him, and undefeatable on Mt. Akina."

Hayato paused for a moment and considered. The project manager had been furious when the engine had been accidentally condemned and shuffled off by one of their mechanics, and the racing team had suffered greatly for it. Even with the Group A series gone, if he could find the engine, perhaps he could regain some of his lost honor. After all, he had been responsible for the engine when it went missing.

"You are sure it's the Grade-A, and not another 20-valve 4A-GE motor?" Hayato asked.

"Of course I'm sure. It's defeated an AP1, an EA11R, an EK9, an FC, an R32, an FD... write down a list of sports cars, and it has defeated them all on the downhill. Tell me what other motor could do that, uncle? In an AE86, no less. There is a group of street racers here led by a man named Takeshi Nakazato. He wants to defeat the racing team the AE86 is on, and although he has the uphill taken care of, he needs someone to defeat the hachi-roku on the downhill. I told them you could do it, with your AW11."

"You're certainly bold to say such a thing," Hayato snorted, about to hang up the phone. Something stayed his hand however, and he picked it up again.

"You said it was a tofu shop in Gunma, at the base of Mt. Akina?"

"Yes uncle."

"I'll pay them a visit. Depending on that visit, we'll see if I race him or not," Hayato said, beginning to smile.

"What are you planning on doing, uncle?"

"I'll ask him for my engine back. If he doesn't return it, I'll challenge him to a downhill battle. Winner keeps the 4A-GE."

Fujiwara Takumi woke up suddenly, alert and confused. Shaking his head, he walked downstairs, splashed some water on his face and headed out to the alley where his father was loading up the hachi-roku with its load of tofu.

"Your friend tuned this engine well," Bunta said, closing the hatch.

"Did he fix your bumper?" Takumi asked.

"Enough. Here, don't break the tofu," he said, handing over a cup of water filled almost to the top. Takumi looked at it and made a face.

"This is more than you've given me before," he said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I've been getting complaints of broken tofu. You're not as smooth as you used to be. Slacking off," Bunta said, lighting his morning cigarette. Takumi set the cup in its holder and grumbled to himself.

"Hard to be smooth delivering tofu in such an extreme car," Bunta managed to hear from the 86's open window as it drove off. He shook his head and ground his cigarette out before returning inside.

"Sooner or later, they'll modify that car too much for racing and it won't be good for anyone to drive," he said, shutting the door behind him. That time was fast approaching. The phone rang, suddenly cutting into his day dream.

"Fujiwara Tofu Shop," he answered mechanically.

"Bunta, you son of a bitch, I should have known you were the one to steal my engine," the voice on the other end of the line said, a combination of angry snarl and humorous incredulity.

"Hayato?" Bunta said, looking at the phone before holding it to his ear again.

"Yes, Hayato. My nephew told me about an AE86 that was cleaning up the streets in Japan, defeating all comers on the downhill. A mix of insane technique and brutal power from its high-rev 4A-GE. My 4A-GE, Bunta."

"It was never yours," Bunta countered.

"You're right. It was the team's. You had no right to take it," Hayato said angrily.

"I didn't take it. It was condemned. It turned up in a shop somewhere and I bought it, for old time's sake," Bunta replied, feeling the corners of his mouth turning upward.

"You think an engine like that, in that condition, should have been condemned? You had your spy condemn it and send it to that accursed Suzuki shop, and you had your friend there install it. Don't lie to me, Bunta. If you had taken the Grade-B I wouldn't have been so upset, but the Grade-A? Don't you have any compassion?"

"Grade-A?" Bunta replied. "I didn't know we were calling it that."

"You would be an idiot not to. Our team had three engines per car, Grade-C for fuel efficiency, Grade-B for endurance, and Grade-A for power. You had the Grade-A disappear days after it was installed, Bunta. Did you think anyone would believe it was truly defective?"

"You know about these engines, Hayato. They're built to such exacting standards, sometimes they don't come up to snuff. A good racing team budgets for this, so when an engine is discovered to be defective, it can be replaced. You did a poor job of budgeting for that season."

"And just what, may I ask, was the defect of this particular Grade-A engine?" Hayato asked, his voice stressed almost to the breaking point.

"It had a scratch on the valve cover," Bunta replied, scratching his nose.

"A SCRATCH ON THE VALVE COVER AND YOU CONDEMN A THREE MILLION YEN ENGINE?" Hayato screamed, his voice finally cracking from the stress.

"If you're going to yell, I'm going to hang up," Bunta said.

"Hold on. Listen, Bunta. I know you were sore with the way I treated you, and I'm sorry for that. However I don't think you should hold a grudge for so long. It's not good for your heart. Just give me back the engine and things will be fine," Hayato begged.

"Why should I give it back? They've stopped using the 1.6 liter 4A-GE for Group A. They've stopped racing Group A entirely. It's Formula Atlantic now, using Mazda engines," Bunta replied.

"An issue of pride. I was responsible for those engines, I lost one, and if I can recover it, even after over a year of it being missing, I can clear my name."

"Your name is clean enough to be a director for a racing team," Bunta replied, about to hang up. "If you want the engine, come and take it out of the car yourself. You'll have to defeat it on the downhill first." Without another word he firmly hung up the phone and sat down.

Masashi Suzuki had gone to some lengths to procure that engine, and he had goaded him on, pulling all the strings he could reach in order to make it possible. It was only a matter of time before TRD noticed that one of their racing engines had falsely been condemned and sold off. Of course they would have been furious with any racing team they had sponsored, and it was more than likely that they had withdrawn their backing from Hayato's team as soon as Group A changed engines, killing the team's chance at continuing with the same level of tuning.

"Hmm." He lit up another cigarette and sat down, turning the options over in his mind. He could make the AE86 disappear, he could race against Hayato himself, or he could tell Takumi and let him figure out a plan of attack.

"Time for him to learn another lesson," he said finally. "If he can defeat the Hayato I knew on Mt. Akina's downhill, he deserves to keep the engine. If he loses, he doesn't deserve to keep it."

Fujiwara Takumi downshifted twice, screaming down Mt. Akina after his delivery, working on attaining the line his father had shown him, with his own variations added to it. The 86 pulled off a smooth four wheel drift through one corner, setting it up for an intertial drift through the next. With engine screaming, he maintained the drift through the short straightaway and gained enough traction to shoot forward into the next corner, engine held at the 12,000 RPM redline the new valvesprings had made possible. A white blur appeared next to him, heading up the mountain at high speed. Ryosuke? The shape was wrong for the FC. Takumi shook his head and continued downward, spotting another white shape in front of him. This one was clearly identified as Itsuki's turbo Levin, slowly but surely drifting through the corners.

"Early for him to be up," Takumi said to himself, watching Itsuki's technique. The Levin started to drift, and at the apex of the corner he could see Itsuki attempting to go to full throttle, but the turbo took a moment too long to spool and spun him out. Takumi stopped the 86 and got out to look at his white-knuckled friend.

"What are you doing, Itsuki?" Takumi asked.

"Practicing," he replied, forcing his hands to let go of the wheel.

"If you went full throttle before the apex of the corner, you wouldn't spin out," Fujiwara suggested, smiling at his friend.

"I miss when you didn't know anything about cars," Itsuki sighed as he started up the stalled engine. Takumi listened to the sound of the turbo and the difference it made to the Levin's exhaust noise.

"I don't. I like knowing more about cars," Fujiwara said, walking back to the hachi-roku.

"I'll follow you down, Takumi," Itsuki said, letting the clutch out and carefully driving back onto the road.

"Try and keep up," Takumi replied, getting into the 86 and starting up its potent 4A-GE motor. The throttle bodies burped and snorted as the motor idled, making the idle rough. It had been like this ever since the cold had started coming to the mountain, but Ryosuke had assured him it would be alright.

The two cars, Trueno leading and Levin chasing, made their way down the mountain. Takumi gave up his practice and instead tried to drive in a way that would allow Itsuki to just barely keep up, altering his drift angles and slacking off on the throttle. To his surprise, in certain straights where the engine was spinning at less than 9,000 RPMs the turbo Levin would easily catch up to him.

"Must be the torque difference," Takumi said, raising his rev limit enough to avoid being disgraced by Itsuki. When the Levin's headlights suddenly slithered off the road, Takumi stopped again and waited for him to recover. The lag of the turbo wasn't allowing his friend to drift the car properly, its power coming on suddenly instead of smoothly.

At the bottom of the mountain he stopped for a moment and let Itsuki come alongside.

"With a little more practice you'll be able to keep up soon," Takumi said to encourage his friend.

"You think?!" Itsuki shouted happily. Suddenly he calmed down and pointed over Fujiwara's shoulder.

"Takumi, there's a truck in front of your shop," he said, looking at the large tow truck waiting with its ramp down.

"I wonder if my old man blew up the Impreza's engine," Takumi said. "Anyway, see you later Itsuki."

Takumi parked the 86 on the street since the tow truck was blocking the alley. After locking it up he walked inside to where his father was standing with a grim expression on his face, a strange man roughly his own age waiting on the other side of the counter. As Takumi entered, the strange man turned around with an artificial smile on his face and greeted him.

"You must be Fujiwara Takumi," he said. "My name is Hayato. I'm an acquaintence of your father here. I run a professional racing team. I heard you were one of the fastest drivers in this area." Takumi blushed, surprised at the attention. Was this his chance to go pro?

"It is my unfortunate duty to tell you that the engine in your Trueno outside is actually from my racing team, and was stolen from my team. I don't wish to involve the police, but I would be appreciative if I could have it back," he said. Takumi's hopes were quickly replaced with anger.

"It's not your engine," he replied.

"Yes, it is, and I have the VIN code casting right here. We can match it to the one cast on the engine block and that will settle that question. Your father came across it 'accidentally', and purchased it. I'm grateful to him and you for keeping it in good condition, but I need it back in order to fulfill my contract with TRD and move over to a new racing team," Hayato said, holding out a piece of paper in his hand.

"I don't understand," Takumi said.

"Racing teams are often sponsored by the factory. Toyota's racing arm, TRD, sponsored us by providing us with engines, including the one in your Trueno. The terms of our contract stated that if the racing series ended, we were to return the engines to their development team so they could be taken apart and studied, and the knowledge put into designing new engines. The Group A racing series we were participating in has ended, and we've returned almost all our engines. However, since we haven't returned this one and our other Grade-A, our contract for sponsorship is on hold. If we can return the engine you have, then we can get our sponsorship and our drivers can move forward in their careers. You don't really want to hold them back, do you?" Hayato asked. Something struck false in his words, and Takumi left the room.

"Young man, don't walk away from me. You can return that engine to me or you can go to jail for possession of stolen property. I know these codes match. I don't need to look at the block to know that," he said, waving the paper in front of Takumi.

"You can't have it. It's our engine. My father paid for it. It's not stolen," Takumi said, popping open the hood and leaning over the fender to stare at the codes stamped on the engine block. With a sickening twist in his heart he saw that they matched the numbers on the paper.

"You see?" Hayato said. He paused for a moment, guaging the situation. The young man was 18 or 19 years old, driving an ancient Corolla. It wouldn't be too hard to defeat him, especially if he put the other Grade-A into his AW11 for a short time.

"I'll make you a challenge," Hayato said finally.

"A challenge?" Takumi replied.

"Yes. As it happens, I'm pretty good on the downhill. Before I was director for my team, I was a driver. It was my driving skill that got me into my director position, actually. I'll race you on the downhill of Mt. Akina for the engine. If you lose, I keep the engine and give you half the money you paid for it so you can find something new. If I lose, you can keep your engine, and I'll get you a position on my team, racing with the pros. Take your pick, Fujiwara."

Takumi glanced at Bunta and then at the hachi-roku. No one in the country could defeat him on Mt. Akina's downhill save for his father. Bunta's expression was blank as it always was, offering no help in making his choice. Swallowing hard, he nodded.

"I accept your challenge. Winner keeps the engine."

"Good," Hayato said with a twisted smile. "Next Saturday, 10 PM, Mt. Akina. I drive an AW11, by the way. Have your friend Takahashi Ryosuke tell you about it. I tried to get him on my team a year ago, but he rejected all my offers." Takumi's eyes went wide in shock at that, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. Bracing himself against the wall, he watched Hayato signal the tow truck driver and hop inside. As soon as the truck disappeared from sight, he turned to his father.

"Did I screw up?" he asked.

"Maybe," Bunta replied.

"Maybe? Can I beat him?"

"If you practice every hour from now until your race, maybe," Bunta said, throwing down his cigarette and walking back inside.

"Hayato?" Ryosuke asked, leaning back in his seat so quickly he almost dropped his phone. "Mizaka Hayato? Of course I know him. He's the director of a racing team. Used to run Group A, now he's trying to get a team together for Formula Atlantic. Having some difficulties securing a sponsor because of something that happened a while ago. Why do you ask?"

"He came to the shop today and said the engine in my 86 is stolen. He wanted to take it back, but I told him I couldn't. He challenged me to a downhill race, winner keeps the engine. I accepted. Did I do wrong?" Takumi asked, clearly concerned. Ryosuke sighed and opened up a buried file on his laptop. His simulator program pulled up Takumi's hachi-roku and Hayato's AW11.

"Your opponent is an AW11, correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Takumi replied.

"It will be a difficult battle. The model that Hayato uses is different from the SW20 you raced on Kyouichi's home course. It's the first generation model. Stock, it has difficulties with weight transfer and can be twitchy, with notable understeer during braking and turn-in. However, when I last saw it in action, Hayato's AW11 had a number of modifications performed to eliminate those tendencies. He uses 4 kg/mm spring rates up front and 10 kg/mm rates in the rear to soften up the front and induce weight transfer, dialing out the understeer to a more manageable level. Unlike other mid-engine cars, he uses the same diameter and width tires on all four corners, making it extremely agile."

"That doesn't sound good for me," Takumi said, his heart sinking.

"It isn't. If it were a supercharged model you might have a chance since those are heavier, but Hayato favors naturally aspirated high-rev motors. Fujiwara, he uses the exact same motor that you do, tuned in exactly the same way." There was a long silence on the phone before Takumi could speak again.

"Ryosuke-san, am I going to lose?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Fujiwara, but unless there is an incredible stroke of luck, you will lose. He has a more agile car that weighs less and makes the same power. There is one other thing in his favor as well, Fujiwara."

"What's that?" Takumi asked.

"Drivetrain loss."

"What?"

"In all cars, a percentage of power is needed to overcome friction in the drivetrain and suspension. In FR cars, they have to turn the driveshaft which connects the engine in front to the differential in the rear axle. Spinning this driveshaft can consume up to 20 of the engine's power, which is why there is a difference between crank horsepower and wheel horsepower. With your 270 HP engine, that would mean you are putting down a little over 215 HP at the wheels. A front wheel drive engine has no driveshaft to spin, and has much lower drivetrain loss, usually 10 to 15. Hayato's AW11 with its mid-engine placement and rear wheel drive has the same efficiency as a front engine front wheel drive. If his engine is making 240 HP, that means he has 215 HP at the wheels as well. However, if his engine has been tuned to the same level as yours, and I would expect it to be, that means he has 243 HP at the wheels, an advantage of 28 HP over you." Ryosuke shook his head, wondering how Fujiwara could have been so stupid.

"I guess I don't know as much about cars as I thought I did," Takumi said, his mind flashing back to his conversation with Itsuki only a few hours earlier.

"No, Fujiwara. My recommendation would be to go to Mt. Akina and begin practicing immediately. He gave you a little less than a week before the challenge, correct?"

"Yes. Next Saturday."

"Five days. That might be enough to bring the odds a little bit more in your favor. I'll contact Keisuke. I want the two of you to spend those five days driving up and down that mountain at all times. Drive cautiously in the day, scouting the course, and drive wildly at night. On Thursday, bring your car to Matsumoto for tuning," Ryosuke ordered.

"What tuning?"

"I've used carbon fiber on your car to reduce its weight, but we're running out of things to replace. I'm going to add a cage to stiffen your chassis and reduce body flex, which will help with your turn-in and how effective your suspension is. I'm also going to have Matsumoto install a carbon fiber driveshaft, which will reduce drivetrain losses by a small percentage. It won't be enough to even the horsepower, Fujiwara, but it will help. You need all the help you can get."

Ryosuke hung up the phone and immediately called Keisuke.

"What's up?"

"I need you to go to Mt. Akina and practice with Fujiwara," Ryosuke said, more of a command than a request.

"What's wrong bro? You sound upset," Keisuke replied, walking out of the diner and getting into his car.

"Fujiwara has been challenged by Mizaka Hayato and his AW11. The winner keeps the hachi-roku's engine. Fujiwara agreed to those terms before understanding the situation. If we lose that engine, Keisuke, I don't need to tell you that Project D will be stalled until we can find a suitable replacement."

"He did WHAT?" Keisuke shouted.

"There's no time to discuss his mistakes, Keisuke. Go to Mt. Akina and practice with him. The race is on Saturday at 10 PM, a downhill run. While you help him, I'm going to be preparing alternate plans," Ryosuke said ominously before hanging up the phone.

"So what's this race you agreed to?" Keisuke asked as he let the FD's potent engine idle.

"A downhill race against this old man. He came to take away the 86's engine, and I wouldn't let him. He said he could either turn me in to the police or I could race him on the downhill. I chose the one I knew. I guess I chose wrong," Takumi said, looking at his hachi-roku with troubled eyes.

"What would you have gotten if you won?" Keisuke asked.

"The engine, and an invitation to join his professional team," Takumi admitted, blushing slightly at the admission. It didn't seem to surprise Keisuke though.

"I would have bitten for it," he said in a contemplative voice, remembering Hoshino's sorely tempting offer.

"We're supposed to practice some more, right?" Takumi said, getting into his car.

"Yeah. I'll chase you down, you chase me up. It's about 9 now, so we shouldn't have to worry about any cars. I'll start getting aggressive. I'll expect you to do the same," Keisuke said as he shut the FD's door and revved up the powerful 13B-REW. Fujiwara took off in the AE86, launching aggressively and hurtling downhill. Keisuke popped the clutch and followed, letting the FD's tail wag a bit out of sheer happiness to be racing again. The two plummeted down the mountain, cutting corners and drifting in unison, neither giving up a second to the other.

Takumi looked in his mirror at the FD's lights shining on him and felt the pressure on his back. Keisuke had gotten good at the downhill, and with a more powerful car he was able to push him harder, pressuring for a mistake. Fujiwara downshifted and initiated his inertial drift, sliding sideways down the short straightaway for the second time that day. Keisuke whistled in amazement at the sight, forcing his FD to keep up. Through the five hairpins the AE86 hooked the gutters, a maneuver the lower FD couldn't. Keisuke watched as the Corolla faded from sight for a few seconds before his power reeled Takumi back in. The two cars passed over the finish line and Takumi spun his car out, pointing it back up the hill. Keisuke turned the FD around, checked his oil pressure, and took off.

"Yo, Takumi, when's your next race?" Iketani asked as the two Project D cars pulled in for gas. Fujiwara got out of the 86 and sighed, shaking his head.

"Saturday, but, Iketani, I think I'm going to lose," he admitted heavily, his shoulders slumped in frustration.

"Lose? You?" Itsuki said, turning away from the hachi-roku and joining the conversation.

"Yes. Apparently my challenger is driving an unbeatable car," Takumi said.

"I've heard that before," Iketani said.

"Yeah. You've beaten unbeatable cars, Takumi. The FD, the R32, the FC, the Evo, even Kogashiwa's SW20. What else is out there that can defeat you?" Itsuki asked, smiling at his friend.

"An AW11," Keisuke said coming out of the gas station's shop.

"But that's even older than an MR2," Itsuki replied, thoroughly confused.

"It's the same age as my car," Takumi said, "and he has the same motor."

"Even a tuned 20-valve 4A-GE isn't a match for your engine, Takumi," Iketani replied.

"The same, Iketani. 12,000 RPMs, 270 HP, the same. In a midship like the MR2, more power reaches the ground than in my FR," Takumi said, remembering his lesson with Ryosuke well.

"True," Iketani said. "This could be bad. What are the stakes?"

"The engine. Apparently it was stolen from some racing program and put in my car, and this person wants it back so he can get sponsorship for his new team. If I win the race I keep the engine and get to join his professional racing team, but if I lose, I lose the engine. If I lose, I won't be able to race downhill for Project D anymore," Takumi said. "Not that it matters," he added, under his breath. Keisuke heard his muttering and frowned.

"Fujiwara!" he ordered. "Come on, let's get back to practicing."

"But I'm hungry," Takumi replied, putting a hand over his grumbling stomach. Keisuke responded by throwing a small sandwich at him that he had just purchased inside. Takumi looked down at it and frowned.

"No real food?" he asked.

"Not right now. Draw even with me on the uphill and we'll go to a diner and get a real meal. Until then, that's all you get," Keisuke said, climbing into his FD and driving off toward Mt. Akina. Takumi sighed and rubbed his eyes, took a bite of the sandwich, grimaced, and then left after Keisuke.

Iketani turned to a shell-shocked Itsuki and an incredulous Yuichi.

"The engine is at stake?" Itsuki said.

"A heavy price. If he loses, he won't be able to compete in Project D anymore. With them so close to finishing, it would be a devastating blow," Iketani replied. Yuichi shook his head and went inside to pick up the phone and call Bunta.

"For the last time, there's nothing I can do," Bunta replied to an exasperated Yuichi.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. If Takumi wins against Hayato, then he deserves to keep that engine. If he can't win now, after all the training he's had and the modifications made to the hachi-roku, then he doesn't deserve such an engine. It will be sad to see it disassembled for analysis, but I knew it might happen when I set all this in motion," Bunta said before hanging up the phone.

"Mizaka Hayato, a pleasure to meet you," Nakazato said, shaking the older man's hand. Sayuki bowed slightly, smiling pleasantly at him.

"A pleasure in return. The AE86 raced by the child from the tofu shop has an engine taken from my racing team. I have challenged him to a downhill battle, winner takes the engine. I understand you were looking to challenge this 'Project D' team. Tell me more about it," Hayato said in his businesslike manner. Nakazato looked across at Sayuki in surprise before speaking.

"Project D is a racing team made up of the two best drivers in Gunma. Fujiwara Takumi, downhill specialist in his AE86, and Takahashi Keisuke, uphill specialist in his FD. The team is managed by Takahashi Ryosuke, a legend in his own right, but he hasn't raced since being defeated by Fujiwara in a downhill battle."

"Takahashi Ryosuke was defeated by Fujiwara?" Hayato asked in surprise. Perhaps it wouldn't be as easy a battle as he thought, remembering Takahashi's insane driving skill.

"Yes. He started this team and they've blazed a trail across Japan, defeating all teams on their homecourses and setting record times that the home team couldn't beat. He has only two more teams before he can claim Japan, so we decided to put the brakes on his team. Since his team is made up of Gunma drivers, they never raced here. I've improved dramatically and have a car capable of taking on Keisuke's FD, but I need someone with the insane downhill skill necessary to defeat Fujiwara Takumi. No one in Gunma or the rest of Japan has yet shown that ability save for an AP1 driver who refuses to race," Nakazato said, leaning back in the booth at the diner to watch the older man's reaction.

"I've challenged Fujiwara for 10 PM on Saturday at Mt. Akina, a single downhill race to decide the winner. If you can get your Takahashi Keisuke to race at the same time, then you can challenge this Project D and I'll do what I can to help you, since our aims seem to be similar. Fujiwara must be defeated," he said in such a cold voice that Sayuki felt herself shiver.

"What makes you think that you can defeat him?" Nakazato asked. "Your name was mentioned, but your abilities were never discussed."

"I drive an AW11. You know what that is, right?" Hayato asked.

"A first generation MR2, built at the same time as the AE86 and with the same engine," Sayuki replied instantly. Hayato smiled at her, giving Sayuki another shiver.

"Precisely, dear. The engine currently under the hood of Akina's 86 is none other than the Grade-A engine from my racing team. It has the most power of the three grades, and compared to the other Grade-A, a very slight advantage in horsepower. Fractions of a horsepower though, before you get any wild ideas. My trump card is the other Grade-A. It's the same engine, with the same tune, in my MR2. Can you tell me why this is such a good thing?" he asked Nakazato.

"Less drivetrain loss, so more power at the wheels," Takeshi replied.

"Good. I'm glad you know something about cars, otherwise I would be disappointed. My car weighs less than his, has more power reaching the wheels, and can turn and stop quicker. In addition to that, I have a rollcage and other chassis stiffening braces, while I have seen nothing of the sort on his own car. Without the rigidity provided by a rollcage, Fujiwara is running with a broken ankle," he said. Sayuki winced at the phrase, rubbing her still-sore and still-bandaged ankle to ease the pain.

"In that case, I'll challenge Keisuke for Saturday at 10 PM. Would you like to run first, or shall I?" he asked.

"Run second. When I defeat Fujiwara, it will dishearten this Keisuke of yours so much he won't be able to defeat you."

"That's not very sporting," Nakazato replied.

"Do you want to win or lose?" Hayato asked in a vicious tone of voice. "In professional racing there is no question of being sporting. You drive as hard as you can and as best as you can and if you can find a way to win, you use it. Don't get hung up on silly concepts like honor and sportsmanship, kid, at least not if you want to make it anywhere in the professional leagues," Hayato said, throwing down a business card with his name and number before walking off.

Nakazato turned to Sayuki almost apologetically.

"I want to defeat Project D, but this doesn't seem like the best way to go about it," he said.

"Too late now," she replied. "With the way that man is, he'll race against Takumi whether it's part of our challenge or his. We might as well use him, Nakazato."

"Still, if Fujiwara loses his engine, Project D will be finished. I just wanted to defeat them, not ruin them," Nakazato said mournfully.

Ryosuke sat up with a start, having fallen asleep in front of his laptop. He brushed away the small amount of drool and stared at the monitor, forcing his eyes to focus.

"I've used every favor, followed every lead," he said, standing up and stretching with a massive yawn and a series of pops and cracks from his joints, "but I can't find another engine as good as the one he has now." He shook his head and looked at the simulator running on his screen and suddenly had an idea.

"Instead of searching for an engine identical to the current one, I should search for an engine that would allow the same performance," he said excitedly, activating a new screen of his simulation program. With a furious amount of typing he fed the computer all the information it needed, and then told it to search for any possible combination that would allow for the same driving style.

"10,000 RPM 16-valve 4A-GE. No, not enough power," he said, beginning to check them off. "Turbocharged. No, too much lag. Displacement increase... that's an interesting possibility," he said, sitting down to study the formula.

"Using an 7A-FE block with the G series cylinder head, 1.8 liter displacement is possible, as well as high-rpm operation provided the connecting rods and crankshaft are modified," he said, turning it over in his head. The 7A-FE would be a possible choice, but the longer connecting rods would limit ultimate RPMs, still forcing a change in Fujiwara's driving style unless a lower final drive ratio was used, which would then hurt the AE86's acceleration.

"Supercharged," he read, the gears suddenly turning in his mind. There had been a turbo Levin converted to a supercharger, and although Fujiwara had beaten him, it had been a close race.

"If I could provide Fujiwara with a decently high-revving engine coupled to a centrifugal supercharger setup, it would give him smooth power input without lag and allow him to retain his driving style almost completely," Ryosuke said excitedly. "The use of a lower final drive ratio would be offset by the increase in power from the engine. If done properly, we could get the engine up to 320 HP," he said, picking up his jacket and going out the door, intent on reaching Matsumoto to share his findings.

"So you want to supercharge the 86?" Matsumoto asked, scratching his chin.

"Not yet. If Fujiwara loses, he'll be out an engine. If we can find and build a suitable replacement, something that will give him an advantage against the AW11, he could win it back. Think long and hard about the engine's weakness, Matsumoto. Torque. Because of the lack of torque, we have to use a 4.30 rear gear in the 86 to help it accelerate. Since the engine revs so high, Fujiwara can still reach high speeds without having to shift up. If we were to install a supercharged engine with substantially more torque, we could lower the final drive ratio without hurting acceleration while increasing top speed in each gear. I'm not saying it's the best combination to fight battles from here on out, but if Fujiwara could quickly adapt to it, it would allow him to defeat the AW11 and get his old engine back."

"It sounds like a good plan," Matsumoto said. "Where would you start?"

"I would use a fifth generation 4A-GE from the AE111. It has twenty valves so it will flow enough air with some headwork, and it also has a strong block so we won't have to worry about popping the motor. We would need to drop the compression ratio a bit for it to survive the supercharger's boost, and figure out a way of getting it to breathe with the individual throttle bodies, but it can be done," Ryosuke said.

"If we built a better enclosure around the throttle bodies, that would work just fine. Supercharger would breathe into the box, the throttle bodies would draw from the box. Were we going to use a Roots or a centrifugal supercharger?" Matsumoto asked.

"Although the Roots would be nice for the instant torque, it wouldn't do so well at the top end, and it would confuse Fujiwara. If we were to use a centrifugal supercharger, so it would build boost smoothly, I think it would complement his current driving style and allow him to build speed without having to worry about changing his driving style too much. I want him to be able to get into this car and drive it 100 within a day or so, Matsumoto," Ryosuke said as he began detailing the build.

"Ryosuke, why don't we just put the supercharged engine in the 86 now so he can defeat the AW11?" Matsumoto asked finally.

"Because the AW11 driver will know it's not the right engine, for one thing. Honor is the other part. The challenge was made between two equal engines. It should remain that way. I used to think a win was a win, but recently I've begun to remember honor and sportsmanship. We should give Fujiwara the chance to prove his worth. With the new rollcage and the carbon fiber driveshaft, he'll have a thirty percent chance of winning. He's won before with even smaller chances," Ryosuke admitted.

"True, but they've been flukes. An animal running out into the road, or a driver getting sick."

"It's not desirable, Matsumoto, but for Fujiwara's sake, we'll let him race with the motor already in the car. If the supercharged motor turns out to be more valuable, then we'll keep it for our final battles."

"Alright, Ryosuke. You're the boss. When will Fujiwara bring the 86 in for the upgrades?"

"Tomorrow night. Keisuke has mentioned Fujiwara's improvement, but it hasn't been as aggressive as I could have hoped. With the increased chassis rigidity and reduced drivetrain loss, he might have a better chance. That's all he needs, a slightly better chance."

Hayato ruffled his nephew's hair as the two stood outside the bay, watching as the second Grade-A engine was lowered into place.

"With this engine, I'll crush him," Hayato said proudly.

"Just watch yourself. If you pass him, he gets really mean," his nephew said, memories of past races clear in his mind.

"Hmm. If he's Bunta's son he won't be an easy fight, but with this car in such a state of tune, his winning streak will end."

"How do you know his father?"

"I can't talk about that right now. Maybe when you're older," Hayato said, walking off to help install the ultralight chromoly flywheel and heavy-duty clutch that would help harness the 4A-GE's massive power.

"How is Fujiwara doing?" Ryosuke asked, collapsing into his chair.

"Better, but not by much," Keisuke answered, popping the top on a soda and taking a drink.

"May I?" Ryosuke asked. Keisuke nodded and threw him a can.

"The caffeine is good," Ryosuke said, sighing and setting the can down next to his laptop. He pulled up the simulator screen and entered the new information.

"Even with his improved times, he's raised his chances of succcess by only two percent. With the cage and the driveshaft he might be able to raise it another ten, but nowhere near a comfortable margin for success. We'll see how he does after tomorrow night's activities. Matsumoto and I will be pulling an all-nighter in order to get everything installed."

"I still can't imagine you with dirt on your hands," Keisuke said with a laugh before draining his drink.

"Laugh all you want, I built most of the FC myself. Have you been able to beat it yet?" Ryosuke asked, his voice almost suggesting a challenge. Keisuke looked sharply at his brother, wondering at the tone in his voice.

"It's not the car I can't beat, it's the driver," he replied finally. "The FD revs higher and has a hundred more horsepower than the FC does. You still defeat me on the downhill because of your skill. If it were the uphill, I think I'd have you," Keisuke said, trying to initiate some friendly brother rivalry. Ryosuke finished his can of soda, threw it in the trash, picked up his keys and went outside. Keisuke sighed and shook his head, then followed.

"Listen, I didn't try to piss you off," Keisuke said.

"I'm not pissed. Get in the car," Ryosuke said, shutting the FC's door quickly. Keisuke ran to catch up as the FC began moving, diving into the passenger seat just in time.

"Where the hell are you off to in such a hurry?" Keisuke asked, grabbing for any kind of support he could find as the FC drifted through a corner at 120 KPH.

"You said it yourself, Keisuke. It's not the car, it's the driver. I'll optimize everything I can on the hachi-roku to make it perfect, but it's up to Fujiwara to win. Practice will help him, and I'll take my turn in racing him after Matsumoto and I do our work, but for right now, I need to clear my mind, and to do that, I need to drive." The FC drifted through another curve, the first of many on Mt. Akagi, pulling enough g-forces to smack Keisuke's head into the window.

"I think you get sick pleasure out of doing that," Keisuke said as he rubbed his bruised head.

"I might," Ryosuke replied, pushing the throttle completely to the floor and holding it there through a series of moderate s-curves as the car rocketed up Mt. Akagi. Keisuke felt fear beginning to rise inside him, fear he hadn't felt in years. He felt his foot searching for the brake, but the FC wasn't slowing down.

"Bro, you're gonna make me sick," Keisuke finally said, feeling his stomach begin to turn somersaults.

"You mean the FD doesn't pull this hard on you?" Ryosuke taunted gently, drifting through a corner and flying down a long straightaway with the car completely sideways before diving into another set of s-curves at insane speed, a Fujiwara maneuver done at 250.

"When I'm in the FD I'm in control so I know what's about to happen," Keisuke ground out, his teeth clenched as the FC's bumper slashed through the overgrowth hanging over the guard rails.

"You're not going to faint, are you bro?" Ryosuke asked, twisting the FC through a corner so hard Keisuke felt like the whole car had spun around the base of his seat.

"N-no!" he forced out, surprised at himself. The FD was wider, had more traction, more power, and yet it had never thrown him around like this. The FC reached the peak of Mt. Akagi, paused for a second, and then whipped around for the downhill.

"Bro, hold on," Keisuke began, but the FC wasn't slowing down. Ryosuke kept the throttle pinned to the floor, manipulating the car's line with left foot braking and the occasional clutch kick. It was too much for Keisuke. After the fifth corner with the FC running flat out, tires screaming the entire time, Keisuke felt the blood rush from his head and his eyes began to close. Swinging his heavy head to look at his brother, he noticed the small smile on Ryosuke's face before his eyes finally closed and his body slumped against the harness.

Ryosuke kept charging downhill, driving in a reckless manner unlike his usual style. After reaching the bottom of the hill, he drove along until he found a vending machine. After buying two cans of coffee, he checked the tire temperature of the FC and then hopped back in, handing a can to a slowly reviving Keisuke.

"What did you have to do that for?" Keisuke asked, popping open the can and drinking deeply.

"Do what for?" Ryosuke asked, the FC running smoothly at below-legal speeds on their way back home.

"Drive like that. You haven't driven like that in years."

"No, I've never driven like that," Ryosuke replied.

"I don't understand."

"By driving with Fujiwara, I've noticed flaws in my technique. The more I drive with him, the more practice I get and the better I become. What you saw is my first serious attempt at driving since I've noticed all my little flaws. I think it's made me a better driver. Would you say so?" Ryosuke asked, smiling at his brother's pale face.

"It's made you more sadistic. Let's go home. I need sleep," Keisuke said, draining his coffee.

"You can't. After a concussion you need to remain awake for six hours," Ryosuke said.

"And who are you?"

"Training to be a doctor, remember?" Ryosuke retorted.

"Damnit," Keisuke said, shaking his head.

"How was the delivery?" Bunta asked as Takumi came crawling inside Thursday morning.

"Rough," he replied.

"Oh?"

"I broke some tofu again, and the man at the hotel wouldn't accept it. I'm sorry, but I'm getting so tired with all this practicing that I can't keep my eyes open," Takumi said, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

"I'll take over the delivery for tomorrow and Saturday morning. I assume once you've raced Hayato, you'll be back to a more normal schedule?" Bunt asked. Takumi nodded and forced his tired legs upstairs. He could still feel the 86's wheel in his hands and feel the vibrations of the engine. He fell into his bed and instantly went to sleep, his mind continuing the race up and down Mt. Akina in his dreams.

Bunta sighed heavily and took another batch of tofu out to his Impreza, then stopped and put it in the AE86. Looking up at Takumi's window for a moment, he got into the hachi-roku and took off.

"It's a good tune," he said, enjoying the free-revving nature of the engine. It had been tuned well, even if it spat and grumbled at idle. That Ryosuke fellow had done a good job fixing the Impreza's bumper, and a better job at tuning the 86's engine. The suspension was still wanting a little help though. After making the delivery and apologizing to the hotel owner, he came back down the mountain, testing the car. It only confirmed his hypothesis. For all his abilities as an engine tuner, Ryosuke had neglected some details in the suspension. Glancing at his watch, Bunta drove over to Suzuki's.

"Yo, Masashi," he called out as he walked into the garage.

"Bunta, what's up?" a voice called out from underneath a large white van.

"I need to work on the 86. Can I borrow a lift?"

"Of course. Something wrong?" Masashi asked, rolling out from underneath the van to look at Bunta with concerned eyes.

"No, it's fine. I just want to tune the suspension a little bit to account for some engine tuning," Bunta replied. Masashi nodded and rolled back under the van.

"You know where everything is. Don't stop for me."

Bunta raised up the 86 on the lift, noting the slight flex of the chassis. A rollcage would fix that problem, and Ryosuke probably knew that. Would he do it for the race though? Shaking his head, he began to work. After adjusting the control arms and fiddling with the car's anti-squat geometry, Bunta played around with the preload settings of the swaybars.

"A little more of this, a little less of that," he muttered, fine-tuning with laser precision. After finishing up with a slightly revised alignment, he let the car down off the lift, again noticing the slight settling of the body, and started up the car.

"Did you fix what you were wanting to?" Masashi asked, coming over for a second to chat.

"Close enough," Bunta replied. "Some kid is putting a rollcage in this tonight, I bet, so I thought I would tune the suspension to take that into account. As long as they don't screw up the settings, it should handle decently."

"Who's the latest opponent?" Masashi asked.

"Hayato." Masashi dropped his wrench and cursed.

"Hayato?" he asked, picking up the tool and wiping oil off of it.

"Yeah. He found the engine and wants it back. Takumi has to beat him on the downhill to keep it, otherwise it goes with the police. The kid that manages him, Ryosuke, if I'm right about him he'll be putting a rollcage in this car tonight. After all the time we spent tuning the engine, I'd rather not have to replace it with another one," Bunta said casually as he got inside the car and left. Masashi shook his head, worried for the Fujiwara family.

"A rollcage and some suspension tweaks won't put a stop to Hayato, not on the downhill," he said before returning to the van.

Takumi dropped another gear and flew through the corner, no light showing between his front bumper and the guard rail. Keisuke swore to himself, desperately trying to keep up. As tired as he was, Fujiwara was exerting all his power and control on the AE86 and it showed in his segment times and the insane posture of the car. Keisuke watched the now-familiar sight of the AE86 scream through a corner sideways and keep the drift going all the way down a long straightaway before rocketing into the next corner and pulling the same trick on the next straightaway.

"Damn you and my brother both," Keisuke said, pushing the FD's throttle open farther than he usually dared in an attempt to catch the disappearing hatchback.

The next corner he arrived in time just to see the tail lights of the Corolla disappearing, and the corner after that there was no sign of it at all. Keisuke thought for a moment on blaming his speed on his brother's antics from the night before, but shook it off. Fujiwara was getting faster and faster and there was no stopping him.

Three corners farther ahead, Takumi was bursting with delight over the behavior of the 86.

"You're so different," he said to the car, slinging the wheel sharply to send the car diving through the hairpins, grabbing and releasing the gutters perfectly and with such incredible speed that the body creaked loudly as the stresses grew to higher and higher levels. At the bottom of the hill Ryosuke clicked off the stopwatch and smiled his approval.

"Alright, you're done practicing for now. Go to Matsumoto and tell him to get to work. I'll be along shortly. Where's Keisuke?"

"Almost here," Takumi replied. "I lost sight of him once the turns started getting tighter."

Ryosuke watched the AE86 disappear and had enough time to turn back to Mt. Akina's last curve before the finish line before Keisuke showed up, his FD at wide open throttle and blistering down the straight.

"He beat you by ten seconds, Keisuke," Ryosuke said in shock.

"You knocked my driving skills out last night, idiot," the younger Takahashi retorted angrily.

"It's not that, Keisuke. Did Fujiwara tune his 86 last night?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but he did say his father had made the deliveries in it and was late in coming back." Ryosuke instantly grabbed his cell and called Matsumoto.

"Matsumoto! Have you started working on the 86 yet?"

"No, it just arrived. Why?" he replied.

"The suspension settings were changed. Fujiwara outlapped Keisuke by ten seconds on the downhill. Don't touch a single thing until I can get there. Photograph everything, but do not touch that car," Ryosuke instructed, getting into Keisuke's FD.

"Hurry up," he said. Keisuke grumbled and muttered, but he put the car into gear and took off for the garage as quickly as he could within the limits of the law.

Upon arrival Ryosuke jumped out of the car as quickly as he could and almost ran to the 86. With a nod to Matsumoto the lift began to move, hoisting the hatchback up off the ground. Ryosuke noticed the slight flex of the body and shook his head. With the hachi eight feet off the ground Ryosuke whipped out a notebook and pen and began making frantic notes, measuring certain dimensions and counting threads on everything that could possibly be adjusted.

"Look," he said, comparing his notes to the last recorded alignment on the car. Matsumoto whistled.

"Someone was compensating for the rollcage install. But how would they know about it, and why tune it for the rollcage before the install? Who has that kind of skill?"

"Fujiwara's father. I met him once and he told me some things that I can't divulge, but he's the only one with this kind of incredible skill. We must do him right. Make sure that things don't get disturbed when we install the cage, Matsumoto."

"You're helping?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course. We can't have Fujiwara lose to an outsider, can we?" Ryosuke said, rolling up his sleeves and picking up a wrench. Matsumoto watched in shock as Ryosuke lowered the hachi and began undoing the lug nuts, setting the wheels carefully aside. Keisuke watched the two get to work and shrugged.

"Fujiwara, lunch?" he said. Takumi nodded desperately and followed quickly.

"I promised you food if you could pass me, and you did and then some. I've got to hand it to you, going so fast in such a dated platform still impresses me. Just when I thought I was going to be able to defeat you," Keisuke added with a laugh. Fujiwara turned his tired eyes over to Keisuke and studied the man for a few moments in a way very similar to Ryosuke.

"Truth be told, Keisuke, I've been afraid you would pass me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean in Project D. You've gotten so good at the downhill that I was afraid that Ryosuke would no longer need me. I'm glad I can make myself useful for a little bit longer," Takumi said, blushing slightly before falling completely asleep.

"Beaten twice, once by my brother and once by Fujiwara. This sucks," Keisuke said, slowing down to turn into the diner. A sudden urge to be evil took hold of his hands, and he jerked the wheel to the right, then the left and back to the right, whipping Fujiwara's head into the window and waking him up.

"We're here!" Keisuke said cheerfully, getting out of the car before Takumi could say a single word. The younger man was still rubbing his head when they sat down in the diner.

"So what do you think your chances are against this Hayato?" Keisuke asked as he ate.

"Poor, but Ryosuke seems to think that I have a chance once he modifies the hachi-roku. I hope so. I liked how it felt today. I think dad did something to it to make it handle like that. I like it."

"I would hope so. I'm still curious as to how you would perform in a more powerful car," Keisuke said.

"How do you mean?" Takumi asked.

"Well, take my FD for example. It has, right now, over one hundred and fifty horsepower more than your car, much better traction, hell, my tires are almost twice as wide as yours are. If you were in a car like that, I'd like to see how you would handle Mt. Akina then," Keisuke said, finishing up his plate. The two walked out the door, picking up a small order for Ryosuke and Matsumoto before leaving.

"Fujiwara," Keisuke said, holding his key, "catch."

"What?" Takumi said, catching the FD's key in his hand and looking at it in surprise.

"I want you to drive my FD on Mt. Akina. Uphill and down, as hard as you can. I want to see what lines you would take in a car with more power and traction," Keisuke said, sitting in the passenger seat and buckling up firmly, placing the food on the floorboard between his feet. Takumi nervously opened the door and sat inside the car, adjusting the seat for his shorter frame.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure. Come on," Keisuke pushed, "hurry up before the food gets cold."

"So what was this supposed to be?" Ryosuke asked, a smear of grease across his forehead and trailing down one cheek.

"Lunch," Fujiwara replied.

"And what happened to it?"

"Keisuke fainted and the food slid around and it got all mixed up in the container," Takumi said, looking sadly at the mixed-up pile of brightly-colored goo in the bottom of the tub. Ryosuke looked up from the jumbled food at Keisuke, who was blushing slightly.

"Again?"

"I get the point," Keisuke said quickly. "No need to rub it in. I asked Fujiwara to drive my FD and see the difference and, well, I was still feeling ill from driving with you so I closed my eyes."

"Right," Ryosuke said, dumping half the food into a bowl and handing it to Matsumoto. The two sat down and began eating quickly, hungry but pressed for time. Takumi looked at the disemboweled AE86, then back at the two dirt-covered men.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Good. We've got the interior out, the cage is almost finished. We need to finish welding a few more places and then put as little of the interior back in as possible. Fujiwara, in addition to the cage and the driveshaft, we're going to put some lighter wheels on your 86. It's not much, but every bit will help," Ryosuke said, setting down the empty container and getting back to work.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Takumi asked.

"No. I'd say go and practice, but you don't have a car to do so with. You can go home and rest, if you want," Ryosuke said, turning back to the AE86 with gusto. Takumi walked out of the shop and followed Keisuke, who drove him back to the tofu shop.

"I'll pick you up when it's done," Keisuke said before leaving. Takumi nodded and went upstairs to take a nap.

Nakazato kept practicing, driving the R34 up and down Akina with Sayuki in the passenger seat taking notes.

"Ready for the big night tonight?" Sayuki asked.

"You bet," Nakazato replied, rolling into the R34's throttle and enjoying the roar from the worked-over RB26DETT. The upgraded twin turbos spun up quickly, feeding the engine more and more air, the lightened flywheel giving the big motor a more responsive attitude as it streaked up the mountain.

"How do you feel about the car?" Sayuki asked.

"Hoshino did a good job. I'm looking forward to being introduced to some of his pro friends. I think we could make a hell of a team in the rally world."

"Who's that?" Sayuki asked, pointing to a small white car resting in the parking lot.

"That would be an AW11, and money says it's Hayato's car," Nakazato said, pulling the R34 into the lot next to the little Toyota.

"Is that your uphill?" Hayato asked through the rolled-down window.

"Yeah, it is," Nakazato replied. Hayato stared at the R34 for a while, paying particular attention to the wheels and tires before shaking his head.

"I won't lose, but you will," he said finally, starting up his car and moving off. Sayuki stiffened in her seat, recognizing the sound of the AW11's engine. Nakazato watched him drive off and head downhill before turning back to Sayuki, a disgusted look on his face.

"I should never have involved him," Takeshi said slowly, shaking his head sadly.

"He's involved now, and I don't think he would stop, even if we asked him to. It sucks, Nakazato, but we need him to win. That is, if you still want to win," she said.

"I don't know if I want to win with this man," Nakazato said honestly.

"Nakazato, listen. If you back out of the challenge, you'll be taunted from here on out because people will say you were afraid to take on Project D. They won't talk about your sense of honor, or your morals, but that you challenged Project D and then backed out."

"I haven't challenged them yet though," Nakazato said, suddenly realizing he had never delivered the message.

"That's where we're headed now," Sayuki replied. "I've got word that Takahashi Ryosuke is in a garage nearby working on the AE86. We'll deliver the challenge there." The R34 cruised along civilly, far more refined than the old R32, even with its modifications. With Sayuki's precise directions the monster car was soon idling outside of a small shop. Nakazato approached the open bay door quietly, looking at the hachi-roku coming down off the lift, a full cage tucked inside its body. He whistled softly in shock, then turned and almost walked straight into Ryosuke.

"What are you doing here?" Takahashi asked, wiping the dirt from his hands.

"I'm here to challenge Project D to a race. Saturday, 10 PM. My R34 versus the FD on the uphill, AW11 versus AE86 on the downhill. Mt. Akina," he said. Ryosuke's eyebrow arched up, the only outward sign of the massive number of calculations running inside his mind. Nakazato was following his prediction and attempting an uprising in Gunma against Project D, and was more than likely responsible for the AW11's presence on Mt. Akina. A missing engine, absent for a year, wouldn't suddenly be needed.

"We accept," Ryosuke said finally, "but one question."

"What's that?"

"You brought him here, didn't you?" Ryosuke asked.

"Who?"

"Don't toy with me, Nakazato. Do you know the stakes he made with Fujiwara?"

"Stakes?"

"A deal, a bet. The winner of the downhill race keeps the 86's engine." Nakazato tried not to act surprised, but he failed. Ryosuke knew him too well for that.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Nakazato said finally, turning around and returning to his GT-R. Ryosuke watched him get into the car before stepping out into the light after him.

"Project D will be there!" Ryosuke shouted. "Be prepared!"

Ryosuke turned back into the garage and put his hand on the 86's hood, pushing down slightly and calculating the force of the suspension as it pushed back on him. A sudden devilish thought entered his mind, and he slipped the key out of his pocket, staring at it. Fujiwara had blushed deeply when he had handed it over, and for good reason. A small, hand-sewn AE86 was attached to the key ring. Ryosuke stared at the hachi-roku, his heart beginning to beat faster and faster. Fujiwara would never have to know. It could be explained away as a test drive. It was necessary.

He opened the light door, surprised at how familiar it feeled to his FC. He slid inside, bumping his head on the new rollcage as he sat in the bucket seat. It didn't need adjusting, another surprise, considering the height difference between himself and Fujiwara. He reached out and held the steering wheel in his hands, a perfect distance from his chest. His left hand strayed down to the shift knob, finding it without a moment's questing. With happily shaking fingers, he put the key in the ignition, pushed the heavy clutch down to the floor, and turned the key. The engine spun twice before catching, quicker than his rotary. It idled roughly for a few moments before it warmed up and the throttle bodies began to behave properly.

"Alright," Ryosuke said, pushing the clutch back down and shifting into gear. With a gentle manipulation of the clutch and throttle he was backing the AE86 out of Matsumoto's shop. Looking up before shifting into first, he caught sight of Matsumoto staring at him with his jaw hanging open. Ryosuke froze for a moment, then ludicrously raised a finger to his lips and disappeared.

At the peak of Mt. Akina, thoroughly adjusted to the car, he paused for a moment and considered what he was about to do. He was about to race his team mate's car down Mt. Akina as fast as he possibly could a day before the race that would decide Project D's future. Thinking to himself about the supercharged motor he would be putting together shortly, he shook his head and put the car into gear.

Bunta sighed deeply, thinking over the events of the past week. Hayato's arrival and threat, the pending loss of Takumi on Mt. Akina, the ruin of the AE86 once its motor would be removed... he shook his head and downshifted, clearing his mind the only way he knew how, driving down Mt. Akina at full speed. A familiar shape up ahead suddenly caught his eye, a shape that shouldn't have been there. It was Takumi's 86, but the boy was at home sleeping. There was no mistaking the car, there were none like it in Akina, especially with his logo on the side.

He downshifted again and quickly pulled alongside, catching a glimpse of Ryosuke in the driver seat, a guilty look on his face. Bunta pointed forward and tapped the brakes, bringing the Impreza behind the 86. He tapped the gas and began to ride the hachi's bumper, waiting for Ryosuke to make a move. With his racing heart beating slower, Ryosuke downshifted and accelerated flat out, headed downhill as fast as he dared. Bunta smiled with a predatory grin and gave chase.

The AE86 dove downward at full speed, the cage giving the chassis new-found stiffness as Ryosuke hooked a gutter and whipped through the hairpin as quickly as he could. Bunta was pleasantly surprised at the car's performance, pushing harder to keep up. Ryosuke began to sweat, revving the engine up as far as it would go to extract as much performance out of it that he could, the tires gripping to their utmost.

"The new cage is definitely helping. I can feel the chassis working instead of the body," Ryosuke said, watching as the Impreza passed him effortlessly. He took his foot off the throttle and sighed in relief, free from the immense pressure that had been pushing on him for the past seventeen corners.

Carefully, quietly, he pulled up outside the Fujiwara Tofu Shop, shut off the engine, and walked inside, noting that the Impreza was tucked away in the alley neatly and looked like it had been there for quite some time.

"Fujiwara Bunta," Ryosuke said, "I'm impressed."

"Myself as well," Bunta replied. "You took too long to install that cage. I would have put it in months ago if it were still my car."

"My apologies," Ryosuke said.

"If you've got nothing else to say, I need room for my customers," Bunta replied, pulling on his apron and walking into the back.

"But there are no other customers," Ryosuke replied in a confused voice. Fujiwara paused, shook his head, and then kept walking into the back.

"Takumi!" he shouted. From upstairs there were a series of thumps and bumps as Takumi woke up and walked slowly down the stairs.

"Hello?" he said, turning around the corner. Ryosuke looked at him and held out the key.

"I drove your car over so you could test it, Fujiwara. Keisuke is coming to pick me up in a little bit, so don't worry about me. Drive the hachi-roku, Takumi, and get used to the new chassis. You'll be pleasantly surprised." Takumi took the key, blushing slightly at the hand-sewn ornament on the key ring dangling from his mentor's hand, his father looking at the two of them from the kitchen.

"Thank you," Takumi said, walking out.

"Fujiwara Bunta, do you have any fried tofu?" Ryosuke asked, sitting down.

Keisuke shifted up, letting the FD's engine rev down a bit and make it easier to talk.

"So Nakazato is responsible for all of this, hmm?" he said, glancing at the tachometer's bouncing needle, the product of an ultra lightweight flywheel that stripped away almost all unnecessary weight and made the engine incredibly responsive.

"It would appear so," Ryosuke replied. "He wants to stop Project D and figures this is the way to do so. He may very well succeed, but he hasn't anticipated all possibilities."

"How do you mean, bro?"

"If Hayato wins the downhill, as it looks like he will despite Fujiwara's surprising luck and skill, he'll remove the engine from the hachi-roku and render it useless. When you defeat Nakazato on the uphill, it will then be a tied score. A loss on the downhill, a win on the uphill, with one more match to decide it. Usually that match would be the downhill again, but with one car inoperative, and the other driver no longer interested, it will be a stalemate."

"What if Nakazato challenges me to a downhill?" Keisuke asked.

"You would be able to take him, I think. This car has been tuned very well, and your skills have improved since the last time you raced. Sayuki has made Nakazato dangerous, but provided you don't faint, you should be able to defeat him," Ryosuke said, smirking to himself. Keisuke gripped the steering wheel tightly and fought back an angry growl.

"You gave me a concussion before you made me faint, so I wouldn't be so cocky. I was still feeling sick from that when I rode with Fujiwara. I don't faint," he grumbled, his voice on the verge of collapsing into a whine.

"So you're up for the challenge then?" Ryosuke asked seriously.

"Of course. I'll take care of Nakazato. Don't worry about me. Just worry about Fujiwara and that AW11. Remember bro, if we lose that engine, the 86 is trashed."

"I know," Ryosuke replied. "Trust me, I know."

"Any advice?" Takumi asked, sitting in the newly refreshed AE86. Bunta looked at the car and then at his son.

"He clears corners faster than you can, even with this cage. He puts more power down to the ground, even though he makes the same at the crank. He has more skill and has been driving longer, and he has pro driving skills. It's not a good situation to be in. He has no obvious weaknesses to be exploited, and he drives dirty when he's backed into a corner. Watch yourself, Takumi. The engine can be replaced, but you can't," Bunta said, resting his hands on the door, his voice uncharacteristically kind. Fujiwara looked up in shock, surprised that his father would say such a thing.

Shaking his head, Takumi started up the engine and rolled out into the street. As he drove to Mt. Akina, he thought about his father's words and his concerned voice, and Ryosuke's prediction of failure. He needed someone to cheer him up, Takumi realized, and for that reason he stopped off at the gas station and honked his horn. Itsuki came running out in street clothes.

"Were you leaving?" Takumi asked, surprised.

"With you," Itsuki replied, hopping inside the car and hitting his head on the new rollcage.

"Wow!" he said, rubbing his head, "a cage. I want to put one in my Levin. Does it feel different?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's much nicer," Takumi replied. They were silent for a little bit before Itsuki spoke up again, this time in a more somber voice.

"Manager and Iketani-senpai were talking about you today. They think you're in danger. Manager was saying that Hayato drives dirty, like Shingo. Do you think you'll win?" he asked.

"I won't know until I drive him," Takumi replied.

"I hope you win," Itsuki said, looking out the window at the twilit roads. "I don't think this car would be the same without this engine," he added. Takumi nodded in agreement, shifting up as he drove toward the peak. He glanced at the packed galleries and cringed.

"I wish we were doing this privately," he said. Itsuki shrugged his shoulders.

"Nakazato challenged Project D to a battle. Yours is covering the downhill, and Nakazato challenged Keisuke himself for the uphill. Everyone wants you to win, Takumi," Itsuki said, sighing.

"I hope I win," Takumi finally replied.

The AE86 showed up at the top of the mountain and was greeted by a whole host of cars and observers. With the engine spinning just slightly faster than idle he rolled the hachi into place at the line, then shut off the engine and got out to talk with the Takahashi brothers. The number one Project D van was resting not too far away, and the tires on the hachi were quickly swapped to match the conditions of the race. On the other side of the road Nakazato and Sayuki were resting against their black R34 GT-R, talking to Hayato. A little farther off Takumi saw a small white wedge-shaped car, as much a box as it was a sportscar. Lowered and sitting on lightweight five spoke wheels, it had a predatory air and looked like the automotive version of Hayato. Dangerous, cold, calculating. Its stock rear spoiler had been relocated, pushed farther back on the lid of the trunk, making the car look even more intimidating.

"So that's an AW11, huh?" Takumi asked, pointing to the car. Ryosuke nodded.

"Keisuke will have the uphill taken care of, so don't worry about that," Ryosuke was saying. "All your practice helped him too. He'd have to be an idiot not to improve after chasing you up and down this mountain, and your little drive in the FD helped him more than he knows. The downhill is the big concern here, where the pride is. That's why it comes first. Remember, Fujiwara, that your opponent revs as high as you do so there are no advantages to be had going into corners. Just as you don't have to shift up, he won't have to either. His car turns faster than yours does, and brakes quicker too. Remember how you drove against the EA11R, but don't think you'll be able to win in the same way. This race will take all of your skills, techniques, tricks, and luck," Ryosuke said, patting Fujiwara on the shoulder.

Across the road on the other side, Nakazato looked at Hayato and begged him for the last time.

"Please, please don't drive dirty. I don't care what else you do, I just don't want you directly responsible for him getting hurt."

"Your conscience is a handicap, Takeshi. But rest assured, he will come out of this alive. I need the engine unharmed. It's no good to me all banged up. If he crashes, he'll crash tail-first," Hayato added, getting into his MR2 and starting it up. The two cars idled at the line, warming up for the big race.

"Racers, are you ready?" Fumihiro asked, pointing at both drivers. Takumi nodded, Hayato bared his teeth in a vicious smile. Slightly unsettled, Fumihiro began the countdown.

"San! Ni! Ichi! Go!" he shouted, waving his arm as the two cars lunged off the line. The AW11 immediately took the lead, its superior traction allowing Hayato to use more throttle to get started. Both cars shifted into second gear within an instant of each other, the drivers doing everything they could to wring all the power out of their identical motors. Third gear came, and then the first corner. Hayato hit the brakes first, allowing Takumi a chance to dive deeper before initiating his drift. To his shock, Hayato suddenly reappeared on the inside, passing the AE86 with incredible ease.

"Fujiwara has been passed at the first corner!" the radios screamed. Ryosuke shook his head, astonished that it had happened so soon.

"Once he's been passed he gets quicker," Keisuke said to reassure himself more than the others standing around him. Fumihiro bit his lip, worried for the Project D ace.

Takumi watched the AW11's receding tail lights in frustration, pushing the throttle to the floor in a desperate attempt to catch up. The second and third corner passed by and the gap got larger, even with the strong chassis of the 86 and its new suspension settings. Takumi felt desperation rising up inside him. He couldn't lose the 86's heart. It would never be the same. He weight-shifted the car to drift through the next corner and kept the car sliding sideways down the straight before shooting off into the next curve, for what felt like the millionth time that week.

"The hachi-roku is catching up!" Ryosuke clicked on the radio to respond.

"How many seconds between the two?" he asked.

"Five," came the reply. It was like a death sentence.

The AW11 dove deeply into the corner, its incredible grip allowing Hayato to bite deeply into the turn and reduce the amount of course he had to drive, picking up incredible speed as he exited the curve. Six seconds later, Takumi passed through the same curve, drifting so close to the guard rail that his headlights ripped leaves from the overhanging branches. At the exit, however, he was still five seconds behind the incredible MR2.

"How can I catch up?" Takumi wondered, turning the wheel as smoothly as he could and diving into the next corner, finally catching a glimpse of the AW11's tail lights again.

"Just drive faster," he said to himself. "We both have four wheels and the same engine. If he can take that corner at that speed, so can I," he muttered, holding off on the brakes for as long as he dared. With a sudden shock he realized that he had entered the turn too hot and the rear was starting to come loose on him. Working the clutch he regained traction but lost time.

"I can't follow his line," Takumi said in frustration. "How can I stop him?!" The two cars dived into the next corner, a long left-hand sweeper with a straightaway at the end. In horror, Takumi saw that the MR2 was out-accelerating him, even with the carbon fiber driveshaft Ryosuke had installed. Although he had managed to reduce the AW11's lead by a few car lengths, as soon as the corner appeared the lead he had built dissolved in front of his very eyes.

"Tricks," Takumi said, beginning to think hard. He dove for the gutter and shut off the lights, combining his two favorites in an attempt to disturb his opponent.

Hayato glanced in his mirror and chuckled.

"Fujiwara special, huh?" he said, pushing the AW11 closer to the inside of the corner, blocking Takumi from using the gutter to pass.

"I don't need to see you to know where you are, Fujiwara. Racers use the blind line all the time. We use something else, too. The nudge. Pass me and I'll use it on you." He downshifted and drifted through the next corner, using his car's perfect balance and the incredibly potent engine behind his back to put another car length on the Corolla.

"This is the last corner before the hairpins," the radio squawked. Keisuke picked it up.

"What's the situation?" he asked desperately.

"Fujiwara is eight seconds behind. Hayato is blocking the inside of every turn, preventing Takumi from using the gutters. It's not looking good." Keisuke shut off the radio and almost threw it to the ground in frustration.

"Shit!" he finally shouted, anger boiling up inside of him. Ryosuke took the radio from his brother and gave it to Fumihiro, preserving their link to the finish line.

"I won't let you win!" Takumi shouted, diving into the first hairpin so hot that his bumper crashed into Hayato's, forcing him out of the way far enough to let him use the gutter and pass the AW11. Hayato recovered from the bump and returned the favor in the next hairpin, knocking the 86's rear tire out of the gutter and forcing it into a wild drift. Takumi barely recovered in just enough time to dive for the third corner, riding in the gutter to catch up to the AW11. Going into the fourth corner Takumi pushed hard, but he failed to pass.

"Fifth hairpin reporting in, Hayato is in the lead and Takumi is on his bumper. Both cars are within a meter of each other. Hayato is in the gutter!" the radio screamed. Takumi watched in horror as Hayato hooked the gutter and put three car lengths between the two. Takumi desperately tried to catch up, but at the exit of the fifth hairpin he was still trailing behind. The two accelerated down the straight as fast as they could, rushing toward the final corner where the road narrowed down and cut off all hope of passing.

Takumi brought the AE86 even with the AW11, glancing nervously over at Hayato. The two dove into the turn and Takumi watched in shock as the MR2 cut a sharper line, passing the AE86 and rushing over the finish line meters in front of him.

"The AE86 lost!"

Ryosuke, even though he had expected the news, felt the wind knocked out of him as he swayed on his suddenly-weak legs. Keisuke took off swearing, while Fumihiro sadly shook his head. The galleries were shocked into silence, unable to comment. When the noise resumed, it was an angry sound, defiant, upset at the loss of the unstoppable 86 from Akina. Nakazato, afraid of the crowd turning against him, turned to Keisuke.

"Do you still want to race?" he asked. Keisuke, unable to trust his voice, simply nodded. If he could defeat Nakazato then he could block the Night Kids from winning against Project D and force a third race, which would minimize the damage.

"I'll meet you at the bottom of the hill," Nakazato said, driving off to get into position.

"Keisuke, let me come down with you," Ryosuke said, getting into the FD's passenger seat. They took off downhill at a moderate pace, and the elder Takahashi noticed with a smile that Keisuke's line had changed slightly, reflecting some of Fujiwara's style, melded with Keisuke's aggressive method and his car's superior power and traction. At the bottom of the mountain, Ryosuke nodded to his brother, then walked across to where the AE86 was sitting under a particularly bright light. The scream of tires announced his brother taking off in pursuit of Nakazato, but Ryosuke already knew the outcome of that race. It was the event unfolding under the portable light that he was interested in.

Ryosuke took in the scene with no small amount of dismay. A pool of coolant was spreading under the car, still more drooling out of the slashed radiator hoses. The AE86 had been dragged next to a large tow truck, and there was an engine hoist waiting at the ready. Two mechanics were working under Hayato's watchful gaze, quickly and brutally disconnecting everything to allow the engine to be hauled out. Ryosuke hurried over, shocked at the damage they were doing in slashing electrical connections and wiring, breaking off bolts and stripping nuts.

"Hey! Stop!" he shouted. Hayato put a fist in Ryosuke's chest to stop him.

"Get away," he warned.

"Don't rip that out like that. How are we supposed to put it back together again?" Ryosuke shouted angrily, rubbing the sore spot on his chest.

"The idea, kid, is that you don't put it back together again. Get it?"

"Now you see why I never raced for you?"

There was a sudden metallic scream as the engine hoist physically ripped the engine from the 86, the car's front end rising as a number of connections were strained to the breaking point. One by one there were various twangs and pops and horrific tearing sounds, and the 86's front end bounced back down on the ground, the engine and most of its exhaust hanging from the engine hoist, bleeding oil and coolant on the ground and spattering over the dented hood and grease-smeared fenders. Ryosuke turned away from the sight and locked eyes with Fujiwara, who was standing twenty feet away, his skin a pale white, his eyes stained with tears.

"Fujiwara," Ryosuke said, taking the younger man by his elbow and leading him to the FC. Takumi quietly sat in the seat and closed his eyes, the physical and emotional exhaustion putting him quickly to sleep. Ryosuke looked at the young man sadly, shook his head, and walked off to Fumihiro.

"Get a truck up here to bring Fujiwara's 86 back to Matsumoto. We've got a lot of work to do, more than I ever estimated. Don't let him know this, Fumihiro, but we may not be able to put the hachi-roku back together again." Fumihiro turned away and made the call, then waited for the results of the uphill race.

"Don't think you can get away from me," Keisuke said angrily, flooring the FD to catch up. Nakazato's R34 had a lucky stroke in the hairpins and gained a number of car lengths, but there was no way he would let that overbearing fool win. Not after what he did to the 86.

"Next turn, tight inside and grip, second gear, half throttle," Sayuki rattled off from her pace notes, Takeshi following her words to the letter. The FD began to catch up, drifting uphill in an attempt to shorten the gap.

"He's getting closer," Nakazato said, "I can feel it. We may not win this, Sayuki," he apologized, shifting up and rolling smoothly into the throttle. The two cars battled upwards faster and faster, Keisuke gaining slowly.

"Don't worry about him," Sayuki said, "don't worry. Just drive as best as you can. If we lose, that will force it to a rematch between the downhill races. Fujiwar's car is useless, so we will win by default. It's not the best win, but it will put a hold on Project D, like you wanted," she said. Nakazato nodded and drove as strongly as he could, utilizing the R34's massive traction and incredible power.

The last corner rapidly approached, a long easy curve followed by an even longer straightaway. Nakazato led through the corner, letting the R34 drift to the outside under full throttle as he barreled down the straightaway. Keisuke floored the FD and watched in shock as the R34 kept pulling away.

"What? How?" he said, shifting up and winding the engine past its rev limit, desperately fighting to pass the GT-R.

"Ryosuke, bad news," Fumihiro said, approaching his leader.

"What's wrong?" Ryosuke replied, turning his eyes away from the shattered hachi-roku.

"Keisuke lost."

"WHAT?" Ryosuke shouted, spinning around on his heel.

"He lost on the final straight. Nakazato's GT-R had more power and simply out-accelerated him. It was a technical win, but a win. Ryosuke, we've lost. Project D's winning streak has been ended." Ryosuke sat down suddenly. It was so unexpected. The hachi-roku's engine had been physically ripped out of it, damaging the front suspension, transmission, wiring, and body, and with Keisuke's loss Project D's unstoppable legacy had been destroyed.

"I severely underestimated Nakazato," Ryosuke said, walking toward the FC.

"What shall we do?" Fumihiro asked desperately.

"There's nothing we can do," Ryosuke said sadly, "except acknowledge the loss. We'll have to regroup and challenge them again later." Takahashi opened the door of his FC and sat down inside, glancing at the sleeping Fujiwara before starting the car. Fumihiro watched him drive off, sighed, and returned to the truck with the disemboweled AE86 resting sadly on its back.

"How did my brother take it?" Keisuke asked, stopping his FD in front of the truck.

"Hard," Fumihiro replied. "He wants to challenge them again in a while, but the 86 was damaged badly when they took out its engine."

"My brother will figure out a way to challenge them," Keisuke said confidantly, putting on a brave face even though inside he felt sick to his stomach.

At the peak of Mt. Akina, Nakazato was being held aloft on the shoulders of a roaring crowd, amazed at his victory. Sayuki smiled, watching him bounce along like a human beachball before being deposited back by his GT-R. She leaned over and kissed him.

"Congratulations," she said. He took her in his arms and kissed her back.

"Thank you," he said. "I couldn't have done this without you. Even if they don't sing your name, you were the reason we won," he said, kissing her again.

"Alright you, time to buy me dinner," she said with a laugh. The two got into the monstrously powerful R34 GT-R and slowly drove down Akina, windows down to listen to the roars and cheers of the galleries.

"Fujiwara, wake up," Ryosuke said, nudging the young man's shoulder.

"Huh? Wha?"

"We're at your house. Get some sleep, Takumi. You did well today. Let me worry about your hachi-roku, alright?"

"I want to challenge him again," Takumi said angrily. "For what he did I want to crush him."

"I know you do, and I'm counting on it. We just need to repair the 86."

"I don't care what I have to drive, Ryosuke, but I want to challenge him and crush him into a pulp," Takumi growled.

"Fujiwara, go inside and get some sleep. Don't drive tomorrow if you can help it. You're not yourself," he said. Takumi walked inside and slammed the door behind him before climbing up the stairs.

"How'd you do?" Bunta asked.

"I lost," Takumi replied, slamming his door shut.

Ryosuke looked out the window at the rising sun and turned back to the work that had occupied him all night long. It had been hours since the 86 had been trucked down the mountain to Matsumoto's garage, but the scene didn't look any better with the new light pouring in through the windows.

"Alright," he said, picking up a clipboard holding dozens of sheets of paper covered in notes, "let's go over this one more time. Damages," he read out. Matsumoto sighed, his eyes red from lack of sleep and anger at the treatment of the hachi-roku.

"Hood is broken. Carbon fiber couldn't handle the stress, so it split along the center. Front fenders are bowed out. They were hammered out to make it easier to pull the engine, which in turn bent the engine cradle and knocked the front suspension completely out of alignment as well as warping the core support," Matsumoto said, running his hands along the twisted sheetmetal.

"When they removed the engine, they didn't bother to unbolt it from the transmission. They cut the mounting tabs with a welder and then broke the rest by raising up the engine and bashing the transmission bellhousing against the firewall until the transmission case broke off. The transmission is trashed, and the firewall is ruined. Ryosuke, with the firewall and the core support destroyed, I don't know if we could ever bring the front end of this car back into shape."

"It would be difficult," Ryosuke conceded.

"Not difficult, almost impossible. Basically we would have to rebuild the entire front end of this car, from the front seats to the front bumper. I don't have the abilities to do that, Ryosuke," Matsumoto said. Takahashi shook his head and flipped over to the next page.

"The cage kept the cabin in shape, for the most part. That would make our job easier if we try to put it back together again. Unfortunately there is still damage to the transmission tunnel from the engine removal, which broke most of the trim around the shifter. Our carbon fiber driveshaft is ruined, no surprise there. It actually pulled the differential apart, dislocating the pinion gear from the ring gear and bending the axles. If we wanted to repair this, we would have to send the car out to have the front end completely rebuilt, then once we got it back here we would have to rebuild the entire suspension, build a new engine, build a new transmission, build a new rear axle, the list goes on. Ryosuke, at what point do we realize that it would be far more cost-effective to purchase a new car?" Matsumoto said, sitting down on the tool bench and rubbing his eyes with his balled-up fists, trying to keep awake.

"That's something we'll consider, trust me. With Project D's funds dwindling, we can't afford to do everything that needs to be done. I just wanted to make sure of the condition of the 86 before I consider alternatives," Ryosuke explained. "Thank you for your help," he said, leaving the building and getting into his FC. It was a difficult situation to be in, for sure. With the AE86 almost completely trashed and Project D defeated, Ryosuke felt overwhelmed. His medical textbooks sat at home unopened as he drove around in the FC, trying to clear his mind and think of what to do next.

"Hw can I defeat Hayato?"

"Takumi!" Bunta shouted up the stairs. It was late in the afternoon and his son still hadn't come downstairs.

"Takumi!" he roared, walking up the steps.

"What the hell do you want?" Takumi replied, throwing his door open. Bunta felt a rush of anger rise inside him, but shoved it aside and put a hand on his son's shoulder instead.

"I closed the shop. We're going to go eat lunch and talk," Bunta said, pulling him downstairs and out into the Impreza. Bunta turned the key in the ignition, the boxer turning over quickly and idling smoothly, humming with intense power. Takumi grudgingly fastened his seatbelt moments before the Impreza lunged into motion, rushing down the street toward the closest diner.

Sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee, Takumi slowly started to wake up.

"I knew Hayato when I was younger," Bunta began, choosing his words carefully. "I met him in one of my races on the street, and he offered me a hand up into the professionals. He was a mechanic on one of the better racing teams, but they were struggling. I offered to help set up their cars, in exchange for a chance to drive one. He made the promise, and I set up the cars. They were dialed in perfectly to my settings, and after they started winning races, he refused to let me drive. When I went to his supervisor, Hayato managed to spin a lie that poisoned my future pro racing career. After that point, I never raced as a professional."

"No?" Takumi asked, surprised at the sudden honesty.

"Although I wanted to, I was never allowed on a professional course. Friends of mine took sympathy, and I built a business tuning their cars with Masashi, but eventually I settled down and ran the tofu shop. I bought the AE86 shortly before you were born, Takumi, with a specific idea in mind."

"What was the idea?" he asked, his food and bad mood ignored.

"The idea was to give you training to make you the best downhill racer in Japan, by having you drive every day in all kinds of weather in a low-powered car. Whether you wanted to or not, you learned the best lines to take, and how to use momentum to drive faster. In your hurries to get home and back to bed you learned how to drift, badly at first, but better in a very short amount of time. Kogashiwa Kai, probably one of your most difficult races, learned his abilities by racing in karts. Although his father might disagree, I believe the path I've placed you on has given you greater potential than any others of your age."

"Thank you," Takumi replied, and he realized with a shock that he truly meant it. If it weren't for racing, his life would have been a boring existence of working at the gas station or the tofu shop, puttering along in life and wasting away his days doing nothing.

"Why did you choose that car?" Takumi finally asked. Bunta looked up at him and smiled.

"It was cheap," he said, finishing his meal and leaning back in his seat. "I chose the hachi-roku for a couple of reasons. I needed a lightweight car with an engine in front and its driven wheels in the back. Because it was cheap and small I could afford to drive it all day every day without putting a stress on my wallet, so no matter how well or poor the tofu shop did, you could still practice. Because of its low power engine, you had to learn how to use momentum to be fast, and how to use your brakes. Without ABS you couldn't leave braking up to a computer, which pushed your skills even farther," Bunta said.

"That seems like a lot to choose a car," Takumi said with a laugh, the first he had attempted since the night before.

"It was, but it did well. You learned how to drift, and your style became suicidal, rushing into corners without fear, drifting to the utmost limit because you knew nothing else. You have more driving experience than most people five years your senior. Over time I tuned the car up more and more, raising its limits incrementally, and raising yours by the same amount. I knew that the 86 would take you far, but it wouldn't take you all the way."

"What do you mean?"

"The Trueno has incredible abilities, more so with the new engine and the suspension work your friends were able to do. However, it wasn't possible for that car to carry you all the way. There are limitations to every platform, and with the AE86, you've long surpassed them. Every tuning tweak that has been performed on that car has stalled the inevitable, but the forces acting on the body required a cage to keep it intact. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's time to think about upgrading to a new platform, Takumi," Bunta said.

"A new platform?"

"Yes. It will depend on your personal preferences. If you wish to continue with FR, there are a number of good platforms coming out that would take you to the next level. If you prefer AWD, like the Impreza, an Evo or STi would do well. I don't think you would enjoy front wheel drive though," Bunta said with his attempt at a laugh.

"I want to drive the 86," Takumi said. "I know it's been damaged, but Ryosuke thought he could fix it. If he can fix it, I want to challenge Hayato and get my engine back."

"It would be difficult to beat him. You lost when the 86 was in perfect condition. From the damage I know he would have inflicted, I wouldn't be surprised if the 86's chassis would never be restored to its full potential."

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked.

"If there was a lot of front end damage, it would be difficult to rebuild the car and make sure the chassis and body were true. If it were improperly put together again, it's entirely possible that the car would never be able to drive in a straight line," Bunta replied.

"How can I beat him?" Takumi asked.

"I don't know if you can, but that will be your entrance to the next level if you do," Bunta replied, getting up from the table and walking out to the Impreza. Takumi followed, getting into the passenger seat while deep in thought.

"You would have to be able to turn faster than the AW11. That's his advantage over you, Takumi. His car is lighter and has more traction due to his midship engine placement, enabling him to turn in faster and brake later. Defeating him with the AE86 would be impossible," Bunta said, driving the Impreza with his usual charismatic style.

"What could defeat him?"

"Difficult to say. There isn't much lighter, although a later edition of the MR2 might work well. The engine helps him out by being able to rev so high. His weakness is the old chassis. The AW11 is as old as the AE86, and his car lacks a cage. You would need a newer car, or something with more power. An AP1, an FD, an FC, those would be the FR choices, in order of preference. An Evo VI or STi would give you a fighting chance if you decided to use AWD. The best strategy to defeat the high-rev 4A-GE would be torque. You've noticed it yourself, driving your friend's turbocharged hachi-go." Takumi thought over the list of cars, remembering the violent power of the FD before resting on the powerful FC of his mentor.

"I may have a car," Takumi said. "If I ask politely."

Nakazato looked up in surprise to see Takahashi Ryosuke standing over him, a grim look on his face.

"Ryosuke," he said, bowing his head slightly.

"Nakazato," the other replied, sitting down at the table. They were silent for a few moments, each analyzing the other, before Ryosuke spoke up.

"You spend an inordinate amount of time in diners," he said. Takeshi laughed, the tension between them broken for the moment.

"What's wrong?" Nakazato asked.

"When Hayato removed the engine from the 86-" Ryosuke began, but Nakazato interrupted him instantly.

"Removed it?!" he shouted.

"Calm down. The engine in Fujiwara's 86 was 'taken' from a racing team by accident. The director of the team found out about the engine being here and what car it was in, and came to take it from Fujiwara. He wouldn't give it up without a fight, so they had a downhill challenge, winner keeps the engine."

"I didn't think he was being serious," Nakazato said, shaking his head sadly.

"He was. Rather than remove it professionally, they cut or broke whatever held it into the car and ripped it out with an engine hoist, completely decimating the front end of the hachi-roku to the point where I'm not sure if it can be repaired."

"What can I do to help?" Nakazato replied, surprising Ryosuke.

"Help? You brought him here, with your challenge. He has the engine now and has left, hasn't he? That doesn't matter. Project D will not leave a loss on their record. I'm here to challenge you to a rematch, Nakazato. Uphill and downhill."

"Accepted," Nakazato said instantly, seeing a chance to ease his conscience.

"I don't know who will race, Takeshi, but we will race you. When will you be ready?"

"Next week? If it changes I'll do what I can to find another downhill racer," Nakazato said.

"Hayato or nothing," Ryosuke replied. "Fujiwara wants revenge."

"I'll do what I can," Nakazato said, "I know the feeling. Every day without revenge is a day of burning thirst that can't be slaked, a desire that can't be satiated." Ryosuke looked at the man oddly, and with a deep blush, Nakazato spoke his heart while staring at the table.

"I was defeated in my S13 by an R32 and thought it was the superior car. With my own R32 I was a very big fish in a small pond, and I thought myself superior to anyone else out there. When I was defeated by Fujiwara, I lusted for another chance to challenge him. The relief that comes after the challenge is almost blissful. Don't let Sayuki know that, by the way," he added. Ryosuke nodded respectfully, then rose from the table.

"Hayato or nothing. Remember that," he said before walking away. Nakazato watched Takahashi walk through the diner's door and out into the parking lot before digging out his cell phone.

"This is Nakazato. I need your help once more," he said.

"Masashi, are you looking for a challenge?" Bunta asked as he stepped through the door.

"What kind of challenge?" he replied.

"Hayato ripped the engine out of the hachi only the way he can. Front end is ruined. Do you feel like rebuilding it in less than a week, upgrading it to take on an AW11?"

"An AW11, or Hayato's AW11?" Masashi replied, setting down a wrench and looking at Bunta seriously, his mind spinning through the options available to him.

"Hayato's. There's a cage in the 86 now, makes it stiffer. We would just need to rebuild it and tune the car a little bit better," Bunta said, beginning to walk to the door.

"Let me see the car and then I'll decide," Masashi said, getting the keys to his tow truck.

Fifteen minutes later Bunta, Masashi, and a confused Matsumoto were standing outside the Project D garage, gathered around the mangled remains of the AE86.

"I'm not sure if I should be doing this," Matsumoto said, scratching his chin as he thought about Ryosuke's possible reactions.

"Don't tell anyone. It's as simple as that," Bunta replied, hooking the winch up to what remained of the core support. Matsumoto looked at Masashi with a strange expression in his eyes, then shook his head and walked away.

"I'll tell Ryosuke I never saw a thing," he said, "and I hope you know what you're getting into," he muttered. There was a grinding sound as the AE86 was winched onto the truck, and then it was gone.

"Why should I bother racing again?" Hayato asked Ryosuke. Takahashi looked around at the impeccably clean shop, his eyes catching sight of Takumi's 4A-GE partially disassembled on an engine stand a few meters away.

"You should give Fujiwara a chance to win back his engine," he said.

"I'm bored racing that runt. I have the engine, and it has revealed a number of interesting secrets. You must be on fire to get it back, considering what I've found lurking inside its combustion chambers," Hayato chuckled, rubbing his hands together.

"If you're bored racing him, race me," Ryosuke challenged.

"You've got nothing I want, Ryosuke. Don't flatter yourself. You're not the street king that you used to be. A brilliant manager, but your racing skills have rusted up. We don't need another manager, Ryosuke," Hayato said, picking up one of the 86's pistons.

"Defeat Fujiwara and I'll race a season for you," Ryosuke offered, his voice heavy.

"I don't want you, Takahashi. If you want to enslave your blood, then make it Keisuke. Give me your little brother for a year, if you want to entice me to Gunma again," Hayato said, pointing a connecting rod at Ryosuke like a gun.

"Bang."

"I won't make promises other people have to fulfill. If you want him, come to Akina and get him. He'll fight you just as hard as I have, Hayato. But I give you a warning. Watch out for Fujiwara. When you took away his engine and trashed his car he lost his mind. I won't be held responsible for what he does to you on the downhill. It would be wise to turn and run like you are right now," Ryosuke said, his words hitting just the right nerve in the older man.

"If you think I'm scared of a little brat, think again. I'll be there and I'll race both of you if you want it. If I win against Fujiwara I'll take the rest of his car, and if I win against you, I get your brother," Hayato growled.

"It's Fujiwara's choice to accept your stakes. Not mine."

"What the hell is he supposed to drive?"

"Something. I don't know myself, but he'll find something," Ryosuke said, leaving the building. His ever-observant eye had caught the details of one of the pistons lying on the bench next to the 4A-GE and he felt himself tingle with shock.

"Amazing," he whispered.

"What do you mean it's gone?" Ryosuke shouted. Matsumoto held his hands up in the air.

"We didn't have enough money to repair it anyway, Ryosuke-san. What does it matter that it's not here anymore?"

"Who took it?"

"Some people with a truck, a squinty old guy and another one his age."

"If you say so," Ryosuke shrugged, feeling beaten. Hayato's stakes were more than he cared to deal with, and with Project D running out of money he wouldn't be able to borrow a car for Takumi like he had intended to for Keisuke back when they were fighting the black FD.

"Keisuke," he said, picking up his cell phone.

"What's up bro?" his younger brother asked.

"You said that Fujiwara drove your FD, correct?"

"Yeah," Keisuke said uneasily. It didn't take a massive brain to realize Ryosuke's intentions. Fujiwara's Trueno was down for the count, he needed a powerful FR car, the FD happened to have massive horsepower and grip.

"How did he handle the rotary engine?" Ryosuke asked. Keisuke stuttered for a moment, caught by surprise.

"Handle it? Fine, I guess. I told him to keep it below 9000 RPMs and he did. He let the engine idle and cool down before shutting it off so the turbos didn't overheat."

"Thank you, Keisuke. Nakazato accepted our challenge. You'll have him on the uphill. Keep your eye out for the 86, it's gone missing. I'll talk to you later today." Ryosuke turned off the phone and got into his FC, putting his shaking hands on the wheel.

"Am I really going to do this?"

Takumi clumped down the stairs and sat outside staring at the Impreza, his mind in a fog.

"FR? All wheel drive? Turbo? High-rev?" he asked himself, thinking over the cars he had raced against and defeated. Wataru's supercharged Levin stood out in his mind, a well-tuned but rough FR capable of keeping up with his own highly tuned Trueno. The AP1 of God Hand was another incredible FR, tuned much better than the Levin.

"It felt good," he said out loud, remembering his run downhill after the battle. The S2000 had incredible grip, and its high-revving engine felt familiar, like a slightly larger, stronger, and more refined AE86. But in another view, it had the same weakness that all FR cars had, and that was reduced grip in the rain. With only two wheels providing forward momentum there was a limit to the ultimate power that could be put down, but the front wheels didn't get used up with driving force and had more traction for braking and turning.

"The Impreza felt just as good," Takumi said, looking at the blue coupe sitting a meter away from him. It's light two door body was draped over big gold-colored wheels shod in sticky tires. The scoop up front was balanced with the massive wing out back and the large muffler hanging below the rear bumper. With turbo power and four wheel drive it had immense traction and could accelerate stronger out of the apex of a corner than any FR could, thanks to its incredible grip. But with that grip and the front wheels being driven as well as the rears, tire wear became a concern. The front tires had to manage acceleration, braking, and turning. On a downhill race, it would be possible to overload the front tires and heat them up past their optimal temperature, losing grip and understeering. Nakazato had been defeated like that a few times before.

"I don't want front wheel drive," he said with a sour expression on his face as he watched a red Honda Civic drive past. The red Civic was followed by a white coupe with a distinctive whir that pulled up to a stop in front of Takumi's feet.

"Fujiwara, let's go for a ride," Ryosuke said from his open window. Takumi nodded and got into the FC, sinking into the bucket seat and fastening his harness quickly. With a quickening heart he noticed how familiar it felt while being alien at the same time. Compared to his 86, the interior of the FC was far more sporting, but still shaped roughly the same. The harnesses felt the same, their wide straps holding him down firmly as Ryosuke attacked Mt. Akina.

"What's going on?" Takumi asked.

"I've challenged Nakazato to a rematch. I'll have Keisuke handle the uphill, but I wanted to know if you wanted the downhill," he said quietly. Takumi clenched his hands into white-knuckled fists at the memory of Hayato's crew ripping the engine from the 86. With the metallic scream of the car still ringing in his ears, Takumi looked at Ryosuke with defiant eyes.

"I'll destroy him. Give me a car, help me find a car, and I'll destroy him," Fujiwara growled, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Can you drive the FC?" Ryosuke asked. Takumi felt his jaw hang open. His mentor's powerful and perfectly tuned FC3S was a holy relic, a monument of Ryosuke's intelligence, passion, and charisma. It was as much a part of Ryosuke as the Takahashi legend was part of it.

"You can't possibly mean it," Takumi said quietly.

"The 86 has gone missing. Someone took the body. We don't know where it is, Fujiwara. I can't fix a car that has gone missing. Your choices are limited. Borrow your father's Impreza, borrow my FC, or find someone else's car. Just leave Keisuke's FD alone. It would break his heart if you drove it faster than he could."

"I don't know what to say, Ryosuke," Takumi replied.

"The race is Saturday. Find something by Friday," Ryosuke replied, stopping the FC to let Takumi out back in front of his father's tofu shop.

"What?!" Itsuki screamed, falling to the ground in shock.

"I lost the race, Hayato took the engine, and now the rest of the 86 has been missing for four days," Takumi confessed, the frustration welling up inside of him. Itsuki turned incredibly pale and began to shake, his teeth chattering even though the weather was warm.

"What's wrong, Itsuki?" Takumi asked.

"Takumi, I saw a ghost," he replied, hugging himself tightly as he stood there next to the pump.

"Itsuki, don't be stupid. There are no ghosts. I have to choose a car by tonight and tell Ryosuke, or I don't know what will happen tomorrow night. I want my revenge against Hayato, but I can't think of what to drive."

"What do you mean?" Iketani asked, walking up.

"Ryosuke told me to pick a car to drive by Friday night, tonight. I was thinking of the Impreza, but Ryosuke offered me his FC," Takumi said, blushing at the thought.

"He did what?" Itsuki howled, recovering from his earlier fright.

"Did you say yes?" Iketani asked, rubbing his ringing ear.

"No," Takumi said, blushing deeply, "I didn't want to hurt Ryosuke's feelings, but I'm afraid to drive his FC. If I damaged it, I would never be able to drive again," he said.

"Is that why you're driving the Impreza right now?" Itsuki asked.

"No, not really. I can't decide between rear wheel drive or all wheel drive," Takumi offered, running a hand through his messy hair and shrugging his shoulders.

"Why can't you decide?" Iketani asked.

"On the downhill, weight is important, as well as managing the stress to the front tires. A light car is an important choice, as well as grip. The all wheel drive would offer great acceleration out of the apex of the corner, but at the cost of increased load to the front tires and weight. If the car were an FR, like an AP1 or Wataru's 86SC, then I wouldn't have to worry as much about front tires, but I would have less grip coming out of the apex."

"Takumi, I miss when you were ignorant about cars," Iketani said, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling.

"Do you think Wataru would let you borrow his Levin?" Itsuki asked, his mind flitting to the thought of Kazumi before his heart reminded him of her boyfriend.

"I don't know. He might, I'm not sure," Takumi said, unsure once more.

"You'll do well with whatever you choose," Itsuki said.

"I hope so," he replied, walking back to the Impreza and driving off. Watching him drive away, Iketani turned to Itsuki.

"Say, Itsuki, what was that ghost you were talking about?" he asked.

"This morning I was driving on Mt. Akina, senpai, and I swear I saw the 86," Itsuki replied.

"Is that possible?"

"I don't know. It overtook me, spun out, recovered, and kept going," Itsuki said, the image vivid in his mind. The Trueno had come flying down the mountain, passed the Levin easily, but turning back into the line for the next corner the rear end had come out and the car had spun a complete three hundred and sixty degrees before recovering and rocketing downward.

"Takumi's hachi-roku has driven on Mt. Akina for so many years that I wouldn't be surprised if that car's ghost continued to run the downhill," Iketani said.

"What if it wasn't a ghost?" Itsuki asked.

"That should be the last of the adjustments," Masashi said, setting his wrench down on the workbench and running his hand over the smooth carbon fiber hood.

"Good," Bunta replied, lighting up a cigarette. "I wasn't happy about the front end alignment last night. I'm glad we were able to fix it," he said, "but I'm still worried. The new engine cradle didn't look to be in much better shape than what we took out of the car."

"It was the best we could find in the amount of time, you know that," Masashi replied. "You can't find parts for a 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno just anywhere. Finding this one in the junk yard was a lucky stroke," he said, pointing with his chin at the red AE86 that had been stripped of all the necessary parts to repair the hachi-roku.

"We just need to finish the engine," Bunta said, looking at the example slung from an engine hoist on the other end of the shop.

"Why not leave that one in there?" Masashi asked. "It works just fine."

"It works fine for the downhill, but in order to defeat Hayato, we need something more potent. I can't make this one rev as high, but I can give it more torque," Bunta replied, eyeing the centrifugal supercharged and intercooler waiting patiently.

"Bro," Keisuke said, approaching Ryosuke near the starting line.

"Yes?"

"I spent the last two nights analyzing Nakazato's driving, comparing it to mine, and I came up with a counter attack that should take him out," Keisuke said proudly.

"That's good, but I already did the same and increased your available boost," Ryosuke said before checking his watch for the time. Keisuke's face went red with anger, but he calmed down just as quickly and stared at his brother.

"I spent two nights using that dumb simulator program of yours to formulate an attack, and you just increase the boost on my car?"

"Analysis is important in winning a battle, Keisuke, and I'm proud of you for showing the intellect that you have. Your counter attack is flawless, and will work perfectly, I have no doubt about that. However, even the most in-depth analysis can fail to take into account the most simple solution. You were beaten on a straight by a car with more horsepower. The solution is more horsepower," Ryosuke said simply, patting his brother on the shoulder before walking to the van.

"Any more contact with Fujiwara?" he asked Fumihiro. The man shook his head and looked at his watch.

"Just the phone call an hour ago, that he found a car and he's on his way." Ryosuke shook his head and sighed, walking back out to the starting line where Hayato was just pulling up.

"Is your boy going to race me on foot?" Hayato jeered, setting the emergency brake and getting out of the car.

"He's not here yet," Ryosuke replied simply. Hayato shrugged and checked his engine, tweaking under the hood to kill some time.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," Kenta shouted, waving at a blue S2000 that had shown up quietly. "This is a battle. If you need to go through, go now, or you'll get run over," he said. The S2000 stopped next to him, annoying Kenta who tapped on the window.

"Are you deaf in there? I said there's a battle going on!"

"It's hard to have a battle with one car," Takumi replied as he rolled down the window. Ryosuke, hearing the familiar voice, turned his head and saw an eerily familiar car.

"That's Toshiya Joushima's car," Ryosuke said, leaning on the door to look down at Takumi.

"I begged him to let me borrow it. Once I explained the situation, he was okay with it. You're not hurt that I'm not driving your FC, are you?" he asked.

"No. I wanted you to choose a car that you would be comfortable in pushing," Ryosuke said, admiring the blue AP1, with its bronze wheels and black wing on the back.

"I would have been afraid to push the FC hard," Takumi said. "It's your car. I would be scared to drive it, and I want to win this battle," he added, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed the steering wheel, staring at Hayato with hatred.

"So you finally showed up," Hayato said, running his dirty hand up the S2000's hood. Takumi got out of the car, wiped off the grime, and looked at him.

"The hero always arrives late," Takumi said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Nakazato probably hasn't told you my conditions for this rematch," Hayato said, "so let me refresh your memory."

"No, let me refresh yours. Winner of the downhill gets the hachi-roku's engine," Takumi growled, staring at the older man who began to laugh.

"I'm not racing for just the engine, Fujiwara. It's in a thousand pieces right now scattered throughout my workshop, so if I have to put it all in boxes and give it back to you, the least you can do is agree to my demand. If I win, you will never go pro."

"That's unfair," Takumi replied.

"No, bringing another car to this race is unfair," Hayato said, "my conditions are simple. Either accept them and race, or slink away like the bratty whining child you are."

"Fujiwara," Ryosuke said in a low warning voice, but it was too late.

"I accept!" Takumi shouted.

"Fujiwara," Ryosuke said a few moments later, "that was a very stupid thing to do. How many times have you driven Joushima's car?"

"On the way here, and the ride he gave me when we raced," Takumi replied, smiling as he realized how little seat time he had with the car.

"I hope, for your sake, that you don't lose or damage his car," Ryosuke said, walking back to the starting line. Feeling somewhat hurt by his mentor's dismissal, Takumi got back inside the AP1 and drove to the starting line. Pulling up next to the AW11, he noticed the boxy MR2 was shorter and stubbier than the bigger, sleeker, stiffer S2000. Takumi pushed down on the throttle, enjoying the feel of the F20C revving up instantly, its incredible response boosted by the light weight flywheel.

"San! Ni! Ichi! Go!" Fumihiro shouted. Takumi revved the engine and slipped the clutch quickly, the AP1 rocketing off the line and instantly taking the lead on Hayato's AW11. The members of Project D shouted happily, arms in the air as the AP1 increased the lead going into the first corner.

Takumi turned the small wheel and was surprised at the incredible grip and lightning response of the AP1's stiff chassis as he dove sharply into the first corner, the AP1's perfect weight distribution helping him immensely.

"It feels like the 86, but stronger," he said, putting his foot down to the floor and watching as the digital tachometer ramped up to the car's 9000 RPM redline. With a quick shift, the car belched a ball of flame from the exhaust and rocketed forward, screaming downhill at dangerous speeds. With a smile, Takumi noticed the AW11's headlights getting smaller, diving into another corner and increasing the gap.

"Fujiwara is ahead by ten seconds," the radio screamed excitedly. Nakazato shivered, unable to believe that Takumi could put such a huge distance on the old and bitter Hayato in such a short amount of time.

"The hachi-roku is holding back his potential," Nakazato said to Sayuki.

"But it's responsible for his potential up to now," she replied. "If he were to replace it before he learned everything he could from it, wouldn't that limit his ultimate potential?"

"It could. I didn't think of it like that," Nakazato admitted. Off across the parking lot Keisuke was sitting on the ground, his back against the FD's front wheel.

"You look upset," a voice said above him. Keisuke looked up, his eyes catching sight of a gleaming black FD before noticing the shapely legs in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Kyoko asked, kneeling down and sitting next to him. Keisuke felt the urge to run away, but he stopped, relaxed, and spoke honestly.

"Fujiwara drove my FD a few days ago, and he was able to extract more performance from it than what I could, and I drive it regularly. If he gets a better car than the AE86, he might surpass me. I have to do better than him, but I don't know if I can," Keisuke admitted, resting his head against the fender with a gentle bump.

Takumi dove into another corner, the AP1 forging ahead brilliantly, its incredible traction and power helping him to increase the gap. The AW11 had fought strongly, and had closed the gap in a few of the tightest corners, but it was still lagging behind.

"This is where Akina tightens up," Fujiwara said, putting a hand on the shifter in preparation for the next corner. At the exact moment he pushed down hard on the brakes, activating the ABS and rolling hard into the throttle, sending the S2000 flying through the moderate curve in Joushima's style, not quite drifting but not quite gripping at the same time. The AW11 faded quickly, but the easy section was over and the tight corners were rapidly appearing. Takumi's mind flashed back to Joushima's words.

"The chassis is stronger than what you're used to, so the car will corner sharper. The steering rack is faster, so you won't need to turn the wheel as much. Fujiwara, there is one important thing about this car. The engine is behind the front axle, which means that it's technically a midship car, but it still has a driveshaft and a rear differential. The powertrain losses are lower than in your hachi-roku, but they are still present. With the engine behind the front axle, it has the same fifty fifty weight distribution as your car. Push it hard in the corners."

Takumi flashed back to the present, turning the wheel quickly and diving into the first tight corner. To his anger, the AW11 got closer in his rear view mirror, its pop-up headlights on high in an effort to blind him.

"I won't lose to you," Takumi growled, forcing the pedal down farther than he was comfortable with. The blue S2000 screamed with power, winding up to its 9000 RPM redline quickly. Fujiwara shifted gears and dove into the next corner, cutting close to the corner to reduce the amount of course he had to drive.

"That's how he's catching up," he said suddenly. Although the AW11 was driving slower, it was hugging the turns tighter, driving as little distance as possible. Fujiwara pushed the S2000 closer in the turn, running the inside front tire right at the edge of the road, the front bumper millimeters from the guard rail.

"Takumi is still leading!" Itsuki screamed, raising his arms in triumph. The two cars could be heard coming down the mountain, rapidly approaching the five hairpins. With a howl from its 2.0 liter engine, the AP1 cleared the corner first, Takumi in the lead with the AW11 a few car lengths behind. As the S2000 screamed through the corner, the AW11 cut inside and hooked its tires in the gutter, instantly eliminating the gap between the two cars. At the second hairpin, Takumi dropped the S2000's tires into the gutter, but a sudden shower of sparks erupted from underneath the car as the AP1 dragged its frame on the pavement, metal shrieking in pain as the AW11 passed on the outside.

Popping out of the gutter sideways and out of control, Takumi stared at the AW11 with anger burning inside him. Without a second thought he pushed the throttle down all the way and drifted through the third hairpin, frustrated that the AW11 was putting more distance on him. After the fourth and fifth hairpin, the S2000 was solidly in the rear. Using the F20C's incredible power, Takumi forced the AP1 to its limit and beyond in a desperate attempt to catch up. Barreling down the final straight, there was one more corner before the finish line. Takumi bounced the inside wheels off the curb, tightening the S2000's line dramatically and taking the inside on the AW11. With the powerful twin cam engine, Takumi began to close the distance, but the AW11's potent 4A-GE and midship design kept it just barely in the lead, crossing the line two hundredths of a second before the S2000.

Hayato shut the door on his AW11, listened to the pinging of the overheated engine block for a few seconds, and then walked over to Takumi.

"You lost, Fujiwara," he said with an evil grin.

"You haven't raced me yet," Bunta replied. Hayato spun around, his eyes locking onto the slim figure leaning against the ghost-like panda Trueno that had appeared in the parking lot out of nowhere.

"What? How?" Hayato stammered. "I destroyed that car!"

"You did destroy it," Bunta snarled, "and I rebuilt it. Whatever stakes you raced him for, race against me."

"I won't," Hayato replied, walking backwards toward the AW11.

"If I win, your race against Takumi is void. I get the engine. You don't destroy his career like you did mine."

"And if I win?" Hayato asked.

"If you win, I'll never race a car again. But Hayato, if you lose, to make things interesting, I get your AW11 to do with as I please," Bunta chuckled in an evil voice.

"I won't do it."

"What's the matter, Mizaka Hayato? Scared of a tofu shop delivery boy?" Bunta prodded, tapping the Trueno's logo.

"I'll never be scared of you," Hayato replied. "It's a deal. There will be no rematch."

"I never asked for one," Bunta replied.

The two cars made their way up to the peak of Mt. Akina, separated by Takumi's borrowed AP1 and Itsuki's hachi-go. Bunta felt the slight twitches coming from the steering wheel, a reminder that the front end damage hadn't been completely repaired. It would have to do for the battle. He eyed the boost guage hastily added a few minutes prior, showing the supercharger's steady output. The rebuilt engine under the hood, stolen from the red AE86 resting in Masashi's shop, was pumping out a solid three hundred horsepower, with torque to match. It wouldn't last for long though. The tiny 1.6 liter engine was over-stressed, vomiting out 188 HP per liter, or 75 HP per cylinder. Its rev range was standard, topping out at 7700 RPMs. Masashi had refused to up the limit, considering the massive stresses the engine was operating under.

Bunta watched Takumi handle the S2000 and smiled slightly. It suited him. Although he wasn't fully in control of it like he was the 86, Takumi could handle the AP1 well, and with the potential of the car, it could carry him the distance. If he chose to let it.

At the peak of Mt. Akina the two cars lined up, the 1983 Toyota Sprinter and the 1984 Toyota MR2, radical examples of perfect tuning. The AW11 was an 850 kilogram shining jewel, its suspension compensating for the snap oversteer tendencies of the midship design, its high-rev, but low-torque, 4A-GE motor in the back providing 270 HP with a minimal ten percent loss. The Trueno tipped the scale at a healthy 880 kilograms because of the addition of the supercharger, intercooler, and necessary piping. With its classic front engine rear wheel drive layout, the Trueno had a perfect fifty fifty weight balance, and with Masashi's incredible efforts last night corner-balancing the car, each tire supported roughly the same weight as all the others. The damages to the front end hadn't been completely fixed, resulting in an odd nervous twitch that came out of nowhere without warning, but the 300 HP supercharged motor had the potential to level the playing field.

Hayato stepped out of his AW11 and looked at the AE86, his mind still unable to comprehend that it could move under its own power.

"We're clear on the rules?" he asked.

"I didn't know there were rules," Bunta replied, taking his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and throwing them to the ground.

"Good boy. You haven't forgotten. There's only one rule here, Fujiwara. First across the line wins. No rematches, no crying foul. Agreed?"

"There's no other way," Bunta replied, getting in the hachi-roku and shutting the door.

Ryosuke stepped forward, shaking with excitement. He raised up his arms, making eye contact with both drivers, or at the very least, attempting to make eye contact with Bunta.

"San! Ni! Ichi! GO!" he shouted, throwing his arms down and feeling the rush of air hit him as the two cars screamed off the line, the AW11 narrowly taking the lead as they left. Itsuki wailed in sorrow as soon as he realized the gap, the incredible Bunta half a meter behind.

"What's going on?" he howled. Takumi shrugged his shoulders and turned to Ryosuke for guidance.

"The one in the lead is a desperate position to be in," he began, "because you feel intense pressure pounding on you, pressure to drive faster and push harder. Fujiwara, you felt it the first time we raced, did you not?"

"I did," he replied, his mind flashing back on the intense burning energy he had felt slamming against him as the FC had followed his line exactly.

"The trailing position is favorable, because it allows you to view their line and judge their skill. Considering what I've heard between the two of them, Fujiwara Bunta hasn't raced against Mizaka Hayato since they were our age. It would make sense for Bunta to get as much information on him as possible before making his attack."

Diving into the second corner, Bunta was still behind, calculating his attack. The AW11 was turning in incredibly tight, its short wheelbase giving it potent abilities, but limiting its straight-line stability. Like any short wheelbase car, it was easy to initiate a drift, but difficult to maintain it. Hayato was working with the abilities of the car, using a short drift to get the car aimed properly before switching to grip driving to finish the curve. It was a dangerous technique, leaving the car unstable for a few moments at the beginning of the turn. If the drift was off by even a little amount, the grip portion would have to overcompensate, slowing the car down. Unfortunately, Hayato wasn't screwing up. Yet.

Bunta focused his mind, shut off the lights, and began his first attack in the fifth corner. Hayato looked in his mirror, smirked, and continued ahead without paying him a moment's attention. The AW11 began to drift, and at that point Bunta opened up the throttle and bumped the MR2, flashing on his headlights at the same time. Hayato jerked the wheel hard, countersteering desperately, but Bunta didn't pass him.

"What are you doing?" Hayato screamed. Denied his chance to exact revenge, Hayato kept on running, desperately fighting to stay ahead of Bunta, knowing that at any moment he could spin him out again.

"This is the seventeenth corner," the radio announced. "Hayato is still in the lead, but losing speed. He's not drifting to start his turns anymore, but using straight grip. The 86 is toying with him, almost passing him on the outside before pulling back."

"Is the 86 losing ground on the straights?" Ryosuke asked.

"Negative. He's letting off the gas not to pass Hayato," came the answer. As if to prove it, the two cars barreled down a long straight, the AW11 running flat out, while occasional backfires shot out from the 86's tail pipe as Bunta let off the throttle.

The five sequential hairpins were rapidly approaching, the AW11 still just barely in the lead. Entering the first turn, Hayato dropped his inside tires into the gutter, gripping tightly and accelerating at full speed. Bunta followed, wincing as the AE86's suspension made a rubbery crunching sound under the stress. The second hairpin, the third, and the fourth passed rapidly, the hachi-roku's bandaged suspension just barely holding together. At the fifth hairpin, Bunta made his move. Using the exit-oriented gutter technique as opposed to the entry-oriented he had been using, he shot past the AW11 and floored it, the supercharger spinning up instantly, increasing its power. The hachi-roku shot down the straight, putting meters between the two.

"Takumi," Itsuki said, "are you going to switch cars?" Takumi frowned and looked at the AP1 with admiring eyes before looking back at his friend.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't think I would be the same if I didn't drive the hachi-roku, but that S2000 felt incredible."

"I don't know how I would feel if you drove a different car," Itsuki replied bashfully. "It would be too easy for you to defeat your opponents."

"Hey, Itsuki, don't say such a thing. I lost against Hayato in the 86, but I lost against him in the AP1 as well. I still need improvement, and I'm not sure such a powerful car would let me do that," Takumi said, shaking his head.

"Fujiwara," Ryosuke said, "don't be afraid of power."

The two Toyotas rocketed down the straight, one more corner and a short straightaway between them and the goal. Hayato, side by side with the Trueno, floored his car, the engine spinning up to 12,000 RPMs. Fujiwara's supercharged AE86 could only hit 7700 RPMs, but at that speed it was putting out the same power and almost twice the torque, which was why it was slowly forging ahead. At the end of the straight, both cars hit the brakes at the same time, Hayato initiating a short drift to take the inside line and point his car down the final straight, while Bunta drifted the 86, weight-transferring and using the engine's torque to lift the inside front corner of the car enough to clear the side of the road, allowing him to cut the corner inside the sharp-turning AW11.

"What? That's impossible!" Hayato shouted, revving the 4A-GE past its redline, desperately searching for enough power to push him forward faster.

The two cars left the corner dead even, with the final straight the deciding factor. Without any form of compassion Bunta floored the supercharged motor and forged ahead, using his greater power to cross the line first.

"Fractions of a second," came the radio's announcement. "Fujiwara Bunta won by zero point seven four seconds!"

With everyone at the base of Mt. Akina, Bunta approached a visibly shaken Hayato and held out his hand. With tears about to spill from his eyes, Hayato handed over the keys to his cherished AW11. Bunta held them in his tightly closed fist.

"I would have won by more if I had the time to finish repairing the suspension," Bunta said.

"What are you going to do to my car?" Hayato asked, afraid to know the answer. As Ryosuke and Takumi arrived, they quickly walked over to watch.

"I taught you how to tune a suspension perfectly, and how to set up a car for any condition. I will teach you one more thing," Bunta said as he handed back the keys.

"What?" Hayato asked, confusion mingling with the happiness of regaining his car.

"How to be a human being," Bunta replied, shutting the door on the 86 and driving off. Takumi watched his father disappear and turned back to look at Ryosuke.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"Your father, Fujiwara, has won this match twice over," Ryosuke replied simply.

"So how did it perform?" Joushima asked, running his hand along the scraped frame of his car.

"It did well, but I could have done better. I didn't realize it was too low to hook the gutters. I found out quick enough though," Takumi admitted with a blush.

"Hmm, that you did. Well," he said, standing up and dusting off his clothes, "nothing's broken, just scratched up a bit. No worse than what I've done to it at times," he added with a smile. "But you still haven't answered my question, Fujiwara. How did it perform?" Takumi thought for a second, putting the words into their proper order.

"It felt like my hachi-roku, except better. The chassis is stiffer, the suspension is more capable and precise, and the engine feels incredible," Takumi said. "I like how quick the steering is. The rack in my hachi-roku is so slow, you have to turn and turn and turn the wheel. Yours, you just shift your hands slightly and it moves. I really like it," he admitted.

"I thought you would. I used to race a hachi myself, when they first came out. I was a younger man then. I tried an FD, a JZA80, and I even flirted with an NA1 before I settled on this car. When the time comes for you to get a new car, Takumi, try many before deciding. You'll find one that's perfect for you, and that lucky car will reward you with incredible performance."

"I know that some day soon I'll need to get a stronger car," Takumi said, "but I really hope that my hachi-roku will be fully repaired, with the old engine in place. I don't think I'm done learning from it yet. I lost against Hayato in the 86, and I lost in the S2000 as well. I need to get better before I can justify a better car."

"Well," Masashi said with a groan, "you got your wish. Hayato had that engine in a million pieces. I'm surprised there wasn't anything missing." Bunta looked at the rebuilt engine sitting once more in the 86's engine bay and sighed happily, ignoring the ache in his back and his bruised and bloody knuckles.

"It was worth the effort. This car was designed for this engine," Bunta said. "All that weight up front killed the handling, and the busted cradle didn't make things any easier."

"You say that, and yet you still won," Masashi replied, helping himself to a bottle of water.

"I would have won by a bigger amount if you'd fixed the front end properly the first time," Bunta said with a grin.

"So what's your plan now that the car is back to its usual perfect condition?" Masashi asked.

"I was going to give it back to Takumi, but after racing it, I'm not so sure," Bunta said.

This ends the prequels leading up to Final Battle! Obviously some things are different in these two prequels. Ryosuke has already met Bunta, as one example. Nakazato and Sayuki are not co-driving the R34, but oddly enough they're showing signs of being a couple before the idea ever struck me in these two prequels. I hope that these slight inaccuracies won't lessen your enjoyment of these two prequels. I'm going to take a short break, a week tops, from writing fanfics in order to recharge my Initial D batteries and get a lot of homework and special assignments taken care of for college. However, I won't be cruel to you. I'll include a paragraph of the next fanfic. Just remember that this takes place after Final Battle!, with the FC trashed and Ryosuke about to be discharged from the hospital.


End file.
